The Ambivalent Impasse
by AccidentalLove
Summary: When Bella and the Cullens go on vacation, Bella catches a lifethreatening disease that can only be cured two ways...What are Edward's options? R&R Honest criticism please!
1. The Invitation

**A/N: This is our first fanfiction of Twilight. Please read and review. We hope you guys enjoy this story. All of the characters belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. **

Chapter One: The Invitation

"All right class! The Advanced Placement Biology course has come to an end. I genuinely hope that all of you enjoyed this class--"

I rolled my eyes as our Biology teacher, Mr. Shumway, continued to ramble on about how he wish that we all "had an extraordinary learning experience in AP Biology this year"

Honestly, the only fun that I had all year in his class was sharing secretive nudges with Edward. I felt my cheeks heat up as Edward's impossibly handsome face flashed in my mind.

Next to me, I heard Edward chuckle.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward teased. "Is the class too boring?"

I tossed him an annoyed glance and replied, "Don't tell me that you aren't bored with all his 'oh, you guys have been the best class I've ever had' speech. I mean seriously, why do we have to go through this kind of torture at the end of every year?"

"Hang in there, Bella, we've only got 10 minuets left," Edward told me. "Oh, and by the way, I've got to ask you something important after school today. Can you come over?"

"Sure," I responded, instantly intrigued.

Finally, the bell rang, and Edward took my hand as we quickly headed towards the parking lot.

Edward led me to his house after the supposedly long drive, but with Edward's insane and reckless driving skills, we arrived to his house rather quickly. He slipped an arm around my waist and pressed his snow-cold lips against my hair, "You're going to love the news" he murmured huskily.

He opened the door for me and I was instantly greeted by Alice Cullen.

"Hi Bella!" she greeted me.

"Hey," I smiled, reaching over to give Alice a hug.

Alice instantly pulled back and placed a hand up, "I haven't gone hunting in weeks," she pointed out giving me a crooked smile.

I let out a laugh, "Okay, so what's the news?" I asked, tossing a glance at Edward who was leaning against the wall.

"In the living room," Alice ordered as she tolled me into the enormous room.

Edward pulled me onto his lap when we were seated comfortably on the sofa.

"Guess what, guess what?!" Alice exclaimed as her tawny eyes were glistening with excitement.

"Um…you're going to take me on another extremely painful shopping trip?" I guessed.

"No, silly! We're going to Hawaii for vacation, and you're coming with us!" Alice sounded like one of those flighty and squeaky cheerleaders at my old school.

"You…me…Hawaii…huh?" I was positive my month was hanging open.

After I got over my initial shock, I told Alice nervously, "But Charlie would never let me."

"Oh, don't worry about Charlie, he's going to let you come with us. I saw it in one of my visions," Alice answered with a smile plastered on her beautiful face.

"I bet you did," I muttered.

"Okay, so, we're leaving in about a week. I'll bring over the new clothes that I got you last time and we'll--"

"Slow down a little, Alice!" Edward interrupted with a laugh. "It's hard to understand what you're saying when you talk so fast."

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It indicated that it was already 6:30. I've got to get home and cook dinner. Charlie would be coming home soon!

"Er, I've got to go now. It's getting pretty late," I informed the two exquisite vampires.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride," Edward offered.

"But it's only 6:30!" Alice complained, but her pouting face was cut short by the face Edward gave her. "Fine. I'll tell you the details tomorrow. Goodnight, Bella!"

She blew a kiss to me, and left the room sulkily.

On the way home, Edward took my hand in his and wrapped his cold fingers around mine, "You didn't sound too excited," he said.

It took me a couple seconds to register what he meant, "Oh, no, I was just kind of in shock," I said, "I'm actually quiet excited!"

"Excited to trip all the way?" Edward teased, chuckling.

I rolled my eyes and huffed, "Whatever," I muttered.

We stopped talking for a minute and upfront the green light turned yellow. I half expected Edward to race past it, but another half I expected him to slow the vehicle down. I tossed Edward a frantic look and tightened my grip on his hand.

Edward smirked and pressed on the gas, causing the car to race forward. Before he reached the light stop, the light turned red. I slanted him a horrified look.

"Edward, stop! It's a red light!" I exclaimed as I pointed forward, "We're going to crash and die, Edward!" I shrieked.

Yet, that didn't stop him.

Instead he said calmly, "We'll make it,"

He pressed the gas another time and the car flew by the crossroad, receiving many yells and honks from the drivers.

Edward instantly slowed down and smiled down at me, "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"So bad?" I was hyperventiliating, "That was horrible! Why do you always do that?"

Edward laughed and kissed my palm.

"It gives me great pleasure," he said.

I rolled my eyes once more, "Yeah, to get us both killed."

Edward gave me one of his dazzling smiles and turned off the engine, "We're here."

I glanced towards the house. The lights weren't on, which meant that Charlie wasn't home yet.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, and felt Edward's fingers gently coax my chin to his face. He leaned in slowly, and pressed his lips to mine, giving me a passionate kiss. I felt my heart quicken its pace. I ignored the pounding of my heart, and pressed my body into Edward's. I could feel his arm tightening its grip on my back as I ran my fingers through his incredibly soft, bronze hair. I knew I was clearly crossing the boundary that he had drawn for our physical relationship, but Edward didn't seem to notice. He used his free hand to memorize my face as he continued to caress my lips tenderly.

As abruptly as he had started the kiss, he stopped. He gently yet forcefully pulled my face away from his.

I was still trying to catch my breath when he whispered, "I guess you should head in now."

I took a deep breath and asked, "Are you coming over?"

Edward nodded, "Later tonight," he promised, brushing his lips against my mouth again. "See you later."

I nodded and got off the car, my heart racing with excitement.

Ten minutes after I reached home, I heard the front door open.

"Bella, I'm home!" I heard Charlie call.

"I'm in the kitchen!" I yelled back, wiping my wet hands on my jeans.

Charlie entered the kitchen and patted his large stomach, "I'm beat, what are we having today?" he asked me, washing his hands in the sink.

"Um- curry," I said, opening the silver pot to let him see.

Charlie nodded in approval, "Edward's not coming over?" he asked.

I shook my head, "No," I waited a second. "Hey, Dad, speaking of Edward," I began.

Charlie leaned against the sink, waiting for me to continue.

I wasn't too sure how to ask him. Even though Alice said that Charlie would agree, but it doesn't mean it's always true. So I decided to take another road that has a high possibility to have him to agree with my plans to Hawaii.

"Alice wants to take me to Hawaii for a couple days, is that alright?" it seemed simple and easy enough.

Charlie frowned, "To Hawaii," he echoed.

I nodded, and murmured, "If that's… okay…"

Charlie twisted his face in thought, "For how long?"

"I don't know I didn't get details because it was already 6:30" I replied.

Charlie sighed, "Just the two of you?" he asked in a rather skeptical tone.

In my mind, I was quickly debating with myself weather I should mention the fact that Edward and the family were coming too. I wasn't too sure if he thought Edward's family coming would be a better idea or not. Maybe he thought two girls going to an island so far away wasn't the best idea. I secretly groaned and I decided to tell him the truth.

"Edward and his family are coming too," I say, I clenched the spoon in my hand tightly.

Charlie ran a hand through his greasy hair, "Well-"

I pursed my lips, waiting for his response.

Finally Charlie nodded, "Alright, as long as Carlisle and Esme are going,"

I nodded, "Okay, thanks dad!"

Truth to be told, I wasn't too sure if they're even coming. But I decided to leave out that fact in case Charlie changed his mind.

Later that night, I showered and brushed my teeth around eight o'clock. I peered into the living room where Charlie is watching his football game.

"Good night Charlie," I called.

"Going to sleep so soon?" he asked me.

"Yeah. It's been a long day," I answered.

I quickly slipped into my room and shut the door quietly behind me. Edward lay on my bed, his feet dangling off the edge of my bed post.

"Hello, Bella," he greeted.

I smiled and walked towards him. He sat up instantly and I set myself on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. Edward pressed his lips against my temple.

"Charlie said yes," I announced.

Edward smiled against my temple.

"I know," he smirked.

I playfully slapped his back, "You filth, you were reading his mind again, weren't you?" I accused.

Edward's smile remained on his lips.

I rolled my eyes, and murmured, "Details?"

"Alice insists on telling you herself," Edward responded, "She can tell you tomorrow,"

I nodded.

Edward stood up, and gently placed my on my bed, pulling the quilt over me. He lay down besides me, and I leaned into his chest.

My vision slowly blurred as I closed my heavy lids. The last thing I knew, Edward's lips were pressed against my head, and then I let the darkness take over.

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	2. Preparations

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews! We are going to post the second chapter now! All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer! (:**

Chapter 2: Preparations

Before I knew it, I felt a pair of icy cold hands yank the blanket off of me.

"BELLA, WAKE UP!! WE'VE GOT LOTS TO TAKE CARE OF IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK!" Alice's voice boomed in my ears.

"Gosh, Alice, can you scream louder? I don't think China heard you," I muttered grumpily while rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's exactly 6 am! Get up and go get ready! I've got to tell you the details for our trip!" Alice chirped in a sing-song voice.

"Argh. I guess this is one of the negative things for having a best friend who never sleeps," I murmured to myself.

Struggling to get on my feet, I got off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. Still in my dreamy state, I tripped over my backpack, which was placed on the floor. A pair of strong arms caught me and pulled me into a hug.

Edward placed a soft kiss on my forehead, "Hey, be careful!"

I blushed and greeted him shyly, "Good morning!"

"You were really cute last night when you talked in your sleep," Edward murmured in my hair.

I pulled away, and looked into his butterscotch eyes.

"No!" I stared in horror. "What did you hear?"

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Just 'No, Charlie! You're supposed to take the cover off first, and _then_ microwave the sauce! '" Edward quoted, while trying to suppress a laugh.

At this point, I was pretty sure my face was as red as a tomato. I tried to hide my face as I excited my room to go to the bathroom.

When I reentered the room 15 minutes later, I saw Edward sitting idly and motionlessly on my bed while Alice searched frantically through my closet.

"Bella!" Alice's iron grip was pulling me towards my closet. "Please don't tell me this is all the clothes you have."

"Um…Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid that's all I have," I replied as her eyes slowly widened in disbelief,

"Oh, well, then I see we've got a lot of shopping to do. Now go put this on," Alice ordered as she tossed me a tee and jeans.

"But--" My protest was silenced by the glare Alice gave me.

We were ready to head to the Cullens' mansion in 10 minutes. Edward held the door of his Volvo for me as I entered the door. He brushed his lips against my cheek before he shut the door.

"All right., let's go," Edward told us as he turned the engine on.

Alice sat herself in the middle seat as Edward began to move the car.

Her eyes twinkled with excitement, "Goodness, Bella, we're going to have so much fun!" she exclaimed, "We can get a bikini tan, Bella!"

I shot her a horrified look, "A what tan?" I felt my eyes instantly widen.

Alice answered naturally, "Well- duh- I mean you can't expect to come back to Forks as pale as that after your trip to Hawaii!"

Edward chuckled.

I shot him an silencing glare, and turned to Alice, "Alice, I don't exactly have a bikini, and if I did I wouldn't wear one!"

Alice rolled her eyes and leaned back into the seat, smiling ever so sweetly

up at me. "I'll tell you about it more later.

"Plus," She added a couple of minutes later, lowering her voice, "you wouldn't want to not wear one, 'cause _someone_ might be dissappointed." She gestured torwards Edward with a smirk. She raised her voice and told Edward impatiently, "Would you drive a little faster? We're moving like a snail!"

Edward smiled, "Bella doesn't want me to drive fast," he pointed out.

I smiled at Alice through the rear mirror, "He's driving fast enough, Alice," I said, gesturing at the board, "He's going at the rate of 50 when normal people go at 40,"

Alice muttered, "Why not go for 80?"

Edward chuckled once more and held my hand, his cold thumb tracing the pattern on my wrist.

He leaned over suddenly and whispered seductively, "By the way, you'd look _extremely_ appealing in a bikini." He added a wink.

My face was red all the way to my neck. I rolled the window down, hoping to get some fresh air.

When we finally reached the Cullen mansion 20 minutes later, Alice opened the car door, and skipped hurriedly into the house, leaving Edward and me in the car.

"So," Edward lightly pulled me into his hard chest, staring deeply into my eyes. "What do you want to do when we go to Hawaii?"

I was too mesmorized by his gaze to answer him. Attempting to form some kind of reply, I finally stammered, "I…don't…know…"

Edward seemed to sense that my mind and body was not coherent because he gently lifted my chin to his and put his mouth on mine. The kiss started out the same way it always did, slow yet tender, but it eventually turned into a very passionate and heart-soaring one. I guess we were both too deeply engrossed in the kiss that we didn't hear footsteps approach the car.

"Ahem, AHEM," Alice coughed deliberately. "Yeah. You guys might want to take all _that_ inside?"

We quickly sprang apart, and Edward retorted, "Since when did you care about public display of affection so much?"

Alice snorted and reminded us, "Because i'm in a hurry to share the details of our vacation with Bella?" Without further explanation, Alice pulled me out of the car and tolled me into the house.

Once again, I found myself seated in the enormous living room. I sat down on the sofa, waiting for Alice to start.

"Okay, so we're going go Hawaii for about a month, and we will be living in this beautiful beach house that Carlisle borrowed from his friend. The flight to Hawaii will be on next Monday at 11:00 am, so can you get Charlie to drop you off at the airport around 8? Make sure to bring all the supplies you need. Oh! That reminds me that we still have to get you a bikini! I saw this _really_ cute bikini at the mall last week, and i'm totally getting it for you-" Alice babbled.

"Um…" I interrupted her. "Is that all I have to know?"

"Yeah. That's about it…" Alice seemed annoyed that I had stopped her mid-sentence. But she seemed to get over it quickly, since she suddenly squealed, "So what are we waiting for? Let's head to the Port Angeles mall RIGHT NOW, and shop until we drop!"

Which is how I found myself on another tedious and agonizing shopping trip with Alice.

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	3. The Flight

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for your reviews! Keep them coming! They keep us working! (: All characters belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. :D**

Chatper 3: The Flight

"Okay, so Bella, you have everything right?" Charlie asked for the hundredth time.

I nodded impatiently, "Yes, Dad, I have everything,"

Charlie nodded, "Okay," he pulled me to a stop at the entrance or the airport.

"Just promise me that you'll come back alive and healthy," he commanded.

I couldn't help but giggle, "Yes, Dad, I promise."

Charlie smiled, "Okay, good," he said, "You have fun!" He brought

me into a tight hug, "Be careful," he caustioned, pushing me towards the airport.

By the time I turned around to wave at Charlie once more, he had already disappeared into the crowd. I craned my neck in search of Charlie, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for someone?" a husky-velvet voice asked me.

I smiled and turned around to face Edward's handsome figure, "No."

Edward chuckled and pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek, "C'mon, the rest are waiting for us at the check in area." He let go of me and picked up my bag, swiftly placing his free hand on my waist as he led me towards his family.

"Bella!" Esme greeted, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you could come,"

I smiled as the rest of the family greeted me. Finally Rosalie was the only one left. Everyone seemed to turn to her. Rosalie stood up to meet my eye level,

"Hi Bella" she said shortly, and then sat back down again.

"Hi, Rosalie," I murmured, pushing my brown hair behind my ear.

"Okay guys, let's go, our plane leaves in an hour," Carlisle reminded us, smiling down at me.

Rosalie stood up on her heels, and stalked off to the terminal. But she was stopped by Emmett.

"Wrong way, Rose. We have to check in our bags first, remember?" Emmett reminded her with a grin.

"Whatever," Rosalie snapped, but turned to towards the direction of the check-in counter.

Edward and I strolled behind the others with our hands interwined.

While Caslisle check in our baggages, we waited patiently. Snaking an arm around my waist, Edward pulled me closer to him. I turned my head to rest it on his hard chest.

Suddenly, I was aware that there were serveral pairs of eyes on us. I could sense the passengers were awed by the Cullens' stunning beauty and graceful movements. It made me feel uncomfortable under the curious scrutiny of the people because I knew they were probably wondering what an ordinary and plain girl like me was doing with a group as exquisite as the Cullens.

Edward must have been picking on the passengers' minds, because he glared at them as a growl slowly rumbled in his chest. His scowl seemed to snap a couple of open-mouthed and mesmorized women back to reality. They flushed and walked away quickly.

Noticing the distress on my face, Edward embraced me tightly and whispered in my ear, "Don't mind those people. They're just a bunch of blinded fools who can't appreciate your beauty." I could feel his lips gently brushing against my hair.

After 5 minutes, Carlisle walked back and announced, "The terminal is about 10 minutes from here, and we've only got 20 minutes until the boarding time. Let's hurry."

I tried to quicken my pace, but being the infamous klutz, I managed to trip again. Edward caught and steadied me before I could hit the floor.

"Be more careful, Bella!" He warned me.

I noticed that he'd left his arm around me. I sighed and scurried ahead while putting effort into not tripping again.

* * *

"Can I have a cup of water, please?" I asked the flight attendant, who in turn nodded and swiftly left my side. 

"Why a cup of water?" Edward asked with his eyes closed.

I narrowed my eyes, "Can't a girl be thirsty?"

Edward chuckled and cracked open an eye to look at me with his golden eyes and laughed. His low laughter echoed in my ear drums as he pulled me in for a small peck on my cheek.

"You have all the rights, Bella," he said, leaning towards me and pushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

The flight attendant approached with a glass of water.

"Y-your glass of water, Miss," I could tell she was a little embarrassed to interrupt us.

I broke away from Edward and smiled at the waiter, "Thank you," I thanked her gratefully, taking the cup from her and placing it on the table in front of me.

In front of us, Alice leaned over the seat to look at us, "Why doesn't it surprise me that you two drove the waiter away?" she teased with a smirk across her face.

Edward let a low rumble of laughter and tucked my head under his chin.

* * *

"At last! Hawaii stands in all its glory!" Alice exclaimed when we arrived in our destination a couple of hours later. 

I took a deep breath, letting the fresh air luxuriate my lungs. I turned around to see that Rosalie had already changed into a spaghetti strap, skirt, and flip flops.

Alice tugged on my shirt and said, "Aren't you hot? Did you remember to bring the clothes that I got you at the mall?" When she saw me nod, she added, "Go change in the bathroom, we're going straight to the beach from here."

I obeyed without protesting, took out the clothes, and headed in side the airport to look for a restroom. When I finally spotted one, I hurried in. All of the rooms were occupied except for one. I started to walk to it, but was stopped short by an old lady.

"Hey, Lizzie," she told another aged woman standing next to her who was pressing an arm on her stomach, "I didn't know that one was available. Why don't you go and use it."

Lizzie nodded and slowly made her way to the restroom. The first woman turned to me with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, darling, but Lizzie ate too much peanuts on the plane, and you know how your metabolism gets when you get over 50. Ugh. Don't even remind me. I remember when I was as young and beautiful as you are. I was voted the best looking girl in my senior class. Ah, those were the days when--"

She was interrupted when the bathroom door was slammed open suddenly. Alice appeared and asked me in a loud voice, "What's taking you so long?"

"Err.. Well," I stammered and glanced at the old lady nervously.

"Oh, why don't you just go to the other restroom?" Tapping her foot impatiently, Alice grabbed my arm and led me out of the restroom.

I turned my head back and saw the old woman glaring at me, muttering, "Ugh, _teenagers_. Haven't their parents taught them the most basic manners while talking to elders? Parents these days give their children too much freedom, and see what happens? They grow up to be--"

I didn't get to hear the rest, because the restroom door had closed behind us.

"Looked like you were having a great time chatting with that _nice_ old lady back there," Alice teased me, a smirk playing upon her perfect lips.

I looked at Alice like she was insane and heaved a sigh, "Oh, you have absolutely _no_ idea."

By the time I had finished changing and returned to meet the Cullens, twenty minutes had past. When we came to sight, Rosalie glared and Alice and questioned, "What took you so long? _I_ don't even take that long to get dressed."

"_Sorry_, it's not like _we_ don't wait for you for over an hour to fix your hair on schooldays," Alice retorted, annoyed.

"Stop arguing, girls. Let's get going," Carlisle attempted to put out the tension forming in the air.

"Fine," Alice and Rosalie grumbled.

The drive took about half an hour, but by the time we arrived, I was awed by the beautiful scenery. I guess I was so amazed that my mouth hanged open slightly.

"Never been to Hawaii?" Edward seemed amused by my reaction to the view.

"Nope," I replied, tearing my eyes away from the window, and turning to face Edward.

"Oh well, I hope you enjoy our trip then," Edward said, pulling me into his arms.

Was he kidding me? With him, I didn't care where we went. As long as were together, everything would be perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

"Oh, that won't be a problem." I smiled at him.

As the car continued to speed off to our destination, little did I know the trouble was just starting to begin.

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	4. The Searing Pain

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all your reviews! Keep them coming!! All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, because if i owned Edward, i'd probably die and go to heaven. (: **

Chapter 4: The Searing Pain

We had been in Hawaii for two weeks now. Everyday, we spent hours at the beach. However, being my own easily-embarrassed self, I had refused to wear the bikini Alice got me. Eventually, Alice got tired of my refusal to wear a bikini, so she threatened to put the bikini on me herself if I wouldn't wear it. Reluctantly, I agreed.

After lunch, well, lunch for me, we all headed to the familiar beach.

I glanced around nervously, watching Rosalie and Alice take off their outer article of clothes, reveling their bikinis. Suddenly, I felt something in my stomach stir. The pain was overwhelming, but I surpressed the urge to cry out. The painful sensation stopped as abruptly as it had started. Hoping it was just a temporal cramp, I chose to ignore it and turned to Edward.

"What's wrong Bella," Edward teased.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Nothing," I answered, playing with the hem of my tee.

Edward chuckled and he pulled off his shirt in one swift move. I couldn't help but gape at his body even after having the opportunity to see it a lot of times. His body was pale, just like his arm, but even more attractive. His upper bare torso rippled under the Hawaii sun and his muscles moved with every movement he took. He was beautiful.

My good manners momentarily abandoning me, my eyes traveled from his arched neck to his wonderfully made six packs.

Edward noticed and smirked, "Enjoying the view?" he teased again.

I felt my face flush, and I immediately and quickly turned my face away, "It's nothing," I murmured.

Alice then noticed my tension, "Bella, what are you doing with your clothes still on?" she cried, "Take it off; Edward did, so you should too!" she said, tugging on my tee.

I flushed even more and grabbed hold of her hands, "I'll do it myself," I objected.

That's when I noticed everyone's eyes on me, including Esme and Carlisle. I felt my face redden even more and glanced around nervously.

Alice tapped her bare foot impatiently, "Well what are you waiting for, Bella?" she asked, "Take it off!" she smiled sweetly, but I heard the threatening edge to her voice. "It's now or never…"

Feeling extremely self-conscious, I grabbed the hem of my tee and yanked it off over my head. Alice smiled in satisfactory. Emmett and Japer playfully howled like a wolf and the entire gang burst into laughter. I glanced at Edward, wondering what his reaction is, but he just smiled at me.

Alice giggled and hung her arm around my shoulders, "C'mon Bella let's hit the beach," she ordered,

"Rosalie, you coming?" I expected her to say no.

"Sure," she said. In my mind I was utterly shocked, but I hoped that my facial expression didn't reveal it. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were hot on our tails, trailing behind us. I glanced behind their tall shoulders, and saw Esme and Charlisle sitting under a large beach umbrella, talking happily.

I stopped when the water reached my knees. The unbearable pain was back again. I flinched when a new wave of agonzing pain washed through me. I flexed my stomach muscles, hoping the pain would pass. Finally 10 seconds later, it finally did. Then a wave of coolness hit me in a split second. I wipe the water away from my eyes and I turned to glare at Alice who has another puddle of water in her hands.

I rolled my eyes and I took a step into the water, half expecting the unexplanable pain to return. Thankfully it didn't so I walked into the cool water until it reached my navel. I waited for another second, trying to detect if the pain was still there. It wasn't. I smiled in relief.

"What's wrong Bella, afraid of the water?" a husky voice whispered next to my ear.

I wave of chills washed through my body as I felt Edward's cold arms reach around me and wrapp it protectively around my bare waist.

I leaned back against his cold-bare chest and sighed.

Then I heard Alice. "C'mon you two stop with the public display, and come have some fun!" she whined.

I laughed and unwillingly broke away from Edward's embrace. "Alright," I agreed, "So what should we do?"

"Let's go surfing!" Emmett quipped.

Jasper raised his arm, "I'm in! Edward?"

Edward shook his head, "Naw, I'll stay behind,"

"Aw, you're no fun," Jasper growled, "Alice, Rosalie, Bella, you guys coming?"

Rosalie pronounced excitedly, "I'm in!"

Alice passed. Then they all turned to me, again. I sighed.

"I'll pass," I told them as I glanced at Edward, who nodded in approval.

Emmett rolled his eyes, "You party poopers!" he complained, picking up two surf boards from the sand. "We'll be back,"

Jasper gave Alice a quick kiss and Alice exclaimed, "Don't get eaten by sharks!"

We watched the three vampires make their way into a deeper area of the ocean, trying to catch a good wave. Edward held my hand under the water and pulled me close.

Alice smiled and turned to us, "While we're waiting, why don't we do something fun?" she asked.

Edward stated dully, reading her mind, "Alice, we are not going to go climb the rocks and look for crabs,".

Alice snapped her fingers. "Why not?" she frowned, even though we both knew clearly she already had the answer in mind.

Edward narrowed an eye and pointed at me.

Alice sighed in defeat. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly.

"Sorry Alice," I apologized.

Alice shook her head, "No it's fine," she said, "Edward you should've gone with them," she said.. "Bella, let's go sunbathing!"

"Um-"

Before I could say another word, she pulled me towards shore. I could feel Edward following us closely behind. We reached the blankets promptly, and laid down on them.

"So," Alice started, "having a great time yet, Bella?"

"Yeah, the view is beautiful!" I replied enthusiastically. "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Well, on the way here, I saw a sign saying that there's a _huge_ mall around here, so I was thinking--"

"No," Edward and I rejected the suggestion vehemently.

"Fine," she said unhappily. "Hmm…I wonder if we'll get to see a valcano eruption while we're here."

Edward laughed, "Alice, you have the most vagarious thoughts sometimes." I wondered what he was seeing in her mind right now.

Without warning, the burning ache was back again. This time the intensity of it was even more unbearable than before. I felt my leg thrash a little, and my stomach throbbed violently, as if trying to cry out loud. I clenched my fists, and clutched my jaw. I hoped the pain would go away, but it remained. My stomach jerked, the pain becoming even more excruciating than before. I felt tears on the corners of my eyes. I tried to take deep breathes, attempting to soothe the sharp stab in my stomach.

All of a sudden, the afflicting pain stopped altogether. I inhaled deeply, and looked up, just to see Edward and Alice casting worried looks in my direction.

Edward was at my side in an instant. "What happened? Are you hurt?" he questioned with anxious eyes. His face was twisted in pain, his agonized gaze made my heart flutter.

"Oh, that was nothing. I probably had trouble digesting the food I ate earlier. I'm fine, really," I reassured him, forcing a smile on my face.

"Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. When he saw me nod, he made me promise to tell him if the pain came back again.

I didn't have much choice, so I agreed.

"Are you tired now?" Edward requested. "Maybe we should go back to the house? It's getting pretty late anyway."

"Sure," I allowed, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie!" Edward shouted at the three surfing figures. "We're leaving now! Are you guys coming?"

"NO!" They roared in unison.

"The waves are just starting to get high!" Emmett explained.

"You guys can leave first. We'll be back later," Jasper yelled.

"All right then," Edward called back. Lowering his face, he told me softly, "Come, let's get you back. You should take a nap."

He wrapped an arm around my waist, leaning me into him, and guiding me back to the beach house.

That night, the piercing pain was back again.

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	5. Diagnosis

**A/N: Once again, your reviews have been absolutely wonderful!**

**Oh, and about the questions that people have been asking about the Cullens being able to walk around the beach without people noticing the sparks coming off of their skin..hmm. let's just assume that the beach is a private beach owned by Carlisle's friend, shall we:D (Honestly, we had completely forgot about it. Thank you guys for pointing that out, and thank you, blissfulmemories, for suggesting a solution.)**

**As for the other question asked by blissfulmemories, all of the Cullens knew the amount of pain Bella was silently enduring, but they chose to not talk about it because Bella insisted that she was fine. So basically, not only did Jasper know how much pain Bella was in, but also the entire Cullen family. They're just pretending to believe her.**

**We hope these explanations will clear up the questions you have. We thank you for pointing them out, and if the future, you find something not logical in our story, please tell us:D**

**Before we get on with the story, please submit a review when you're done. Thanks:D Here's chapter 5!**

**We don't own any of the awesome characters created by Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 5: Diagnosis

During the course of the remaining week, I was attacked by the acute pain several more times. Each time, the pain would be stronger and longer. But I didn't want Edward or his family to worry about me. I came up with excuses, waving away the worried glances of the Cullens.

Eventually, my reasons sounded forced and ridiculous even to myself. I could sense the skepticism reflecting in their eyes. But still I insisted that they didn't have to worry about me.

No one fell for my deceptions, but they pretended to believe me anyway. They tried to conceal their doubt, well, except for Edward. When I would unintentionally glance in Edward's way, I would see his intense gaze on me, his eyes expressing the agony he felt for my dishonesty.

I wanted to tell him, really, but I didn't want him to worry about me. This vacation was supposed to give us the opportunity to relax and escape reality for awhile, and not a place where new worries formed.

* * *

Today, after another failed attempt to stop Alice from dragging me to the nearest shopping center, I found myself playing the role of Barbie again. 

We had started the trip by purchasing new flip flops since mine was too old, according to Alice. (She seemed to have forgotten that she had gotten me that pair on the shopping trip we went on before departing for Hawaii. When I reminded her, she waved her hands, insisting that it was time to get a new pair anyway.)

Abercrombie was our next stop. We spent nearly one hour there, with Alice throwing new articles of clothes into my dressing room perpetually. I barely had enough time to try something on before she tossed me another shirt. Finally, Alice went to the counter to pay. (The check out lady seemed shock to see the number of items we were buying.)

The rest of the trip went by like blur mainly because the ache in my stomach distracted me so much that I couldn't really focus on anything.

We were walking out of Bath and Body Works when a wave of painful stabs bombarded my body. I cried out in pain, unable to abolish the scream this time. Alice stopped in her tracks, turned to face me with a concerned face.

"What's wrong, Bella?" she demanded, casting me an alarmed look.

The pain was too fresh, too keen that I couldn't find my voice. It felt like as if I was being attacked by several needles at a time. My head was thrumming, my pulse racing, and my vision blurring.

"A-li—ce," I managed to choke out before my vision was completely obscured by darkness.

And then I was unconscious.

* * *

I woke up hearing Edward's urgent voice asking Carlisle what was wrong with me. I decided to lie still, listening to the conversation Edward and Carlisle was having. 

"Carlisle, what's wrong with her? She's been like this for days now! Can't you do something about it?" Edward's velvet voice was anxious and agonized.

"I'm not sure. I have never seen anything like this before. I'm afraid that we will have to wait until Bella wakes up and tells us exactly what kind of pain she's feeling," Carlisle's calm voice informed Edward.

"Then why isn't she waking up? She's been unconscious for hours now!" There was a hint of hysteria in Edward's voice, like all the anguish was starting to drive him insane.

I felt the pain again, and let out a little moan. It drew Edward's attention.

"Bella," his apprehensive face came into my view. "How are you feeling?"

"'m fine," my voice was barely a whisper, but he heard me.

"Can you please tell me what's wrong? You've been like this for days! What hurts?" Edward begged. "You've clearly been hiding the truth from us, trying to fool us." He pulled my hands into his, holding on to it tightly, a little too stiffly, causing me to flinch a little

"Edward," Carlisle gently tucked on Edward, trying to get him to loosen his grip on me. "Let me look at her."

Edward nodded swiftly, released my hands, and got up to let Carlisle through.

"Bella," Carlisle asked me softly, "Can you tell me when all this pain started?"

I struggled to answer the question. "It started about one week ago, when we were at the beach. Alice was pulling me into the water when suddenly I was assailed by something in my stomach." I winced as I thought about the unendurable pain. "I thought it would go away by itself soon. So I didn't dwell on it. "I continued in a weak voice. "But it's just gotten much worse throughout this week. The attacks occurred more frequently, each time lasting longer than before."

"And the pain, how does it feel like? Like something's stabbing you? Or something's applying pressure to your stomach?" I noticed Carlisle's voice had lost all its calmness.

"Um…" I searched for an appropriate phrase to describe it. "It feels like as if I'm being stabbed by a lot of needles at the same time. Like someone is sticking knives into me."

Edward stalked around the room with angry paces. "Why didn't you say anything, Bella?" he asked me furiously. "Why didn't you just say anything?!"

I couldn't find my voice. Edward's face was contorted with anger and frustration. I stared into his eyes, which reflected an immense amount of hurt along with upspoken worries. Edward let out a sigh of frustration. He reached for my hands and held it between us.

"Why didn't you say anything, Bella?" he repeated, using a calmer voice this time.

When I didn't say anything, he let go of me and strode impatiently around the room again."Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

"Edward," Carlisle warned. Returning his attention to me, Carlisle asked me in a more mild tone, "Did you feel any other kinds of pain throughout the week?"

I shook my head, "Not really,"

Carlisle frowned and leaned back in a chair, "I really can't tell what the problem is."

Edward gave him a dirty look, "What do you mean that you can't identify what's been hurting her?"

"No, I meant I have no idea what her sickness is," Carlisle said, "I've never seen this type of stomach ache throughout my years as a doctor,"

Edward growled. "So you mean you can't help her?" he demanded.

Carlisle frowned, "I don't know what I should do,"

All of the sudden, the sharp pain returned, more forcefully this time. I gasped and felt myself roll into a ball, my arms wrapped around my stomach.

"Bella," Carlisle immediately jumped out of his chair and moved to my side.

"Bella answer me," he ordered.

I felt Edward's cool fingers touch my temple and he stroked my cheeks, "Bella, it'll be okay."

"Bella answer me!" Carlisle said in a more fierce tone.

I only heard myself whimper, "Edward."

"I'm here, Bella. I won't leave you," I heard Edward's velvet voice answer.

Finally the pain was obliterated and I relaxed my arms and muscles. Carlisle removed my arms and checked my stomach. I felt a drip of perspiration form on my forehead and then my mind was slowly drained into darkness.

"Sleep Bella," I heard Edward's beautiful voice whisper, "Rest"

* * *

"How is she?" I heard someone ask. 

"I don't know what's causing this," I knew it was Carlisle's voice.

Then I finally knew it was Alice in the room. "I can't believe this, I was just shopping with her and she seemed perfectly fine in Abercrombie," she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry Edward!" she cried.

Was Edward here? I didn't hear his voice.

Then I heard a low, timber voice that I knew didn't belong to Edward, "What should we do?"

"I…I don't know," Carlisle replied.

Silence filled the room.

Curious, I cracked open an eye a bit to see who was in the room. Then I saw that the entire family was here. Alice, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, even Rosalie. But where was Edward? I couldn't see him from my angle.

"Will she live?" it was Esme.

I heard Carlisle let out a shakey breath, "It's hard to predict."

I'm going to die? My mind instantly flashed to Charlie. And then to the airport, where I'd promised him that I'd be careful and come back healthy and safe. If I die, I don't know how Charlie will react. I can't die! Charlie needs me!

"Maybe we should bring her back to Forks," someone suggested. "Maybe Charlie knows about this. Maybe Bella had this before and Charlie knows how to cure it." I recognized the voice now. It belonged to Rosalie. Was she saying this to keep me alive?

"We will not bring her back to Forks," his sweet voice came.

"Why the hell not?" Rosalie asked.

"Rosalie, your language," came Esme's stern tone.

I could imagine Edward and Rosalie glaring at each other. My finger twitched.

"She will not be brought back to Forks," Edward insisted, I imagined his jaw to be clentched.

Alice's voice came, "So you're going to just let her- DIE- here?" she asked angrily, "Maybe Rosalie's right, Charlie might know what's wrong,"

"I agree" came Emmett's rough voice.

Edward stalked around the room again, his footsteps loud and clear.

"Edward, what are your reasons?" Carisle wanted to know.

Edward's pacing stopped, "What makes you think that Charlie would know? This is an unknown disease, no one will know of this! If Carisle doesn't even know, what makes you think the other retarded doctors back in Forks might know?"

Edward had a point.

Jasper cut in, "Maybe we should just wait a couple of days and see what her conditions are," I head Edward's low growl. "I mean, surely we cant bring her back to Forks without you knowing. Since you intend to let her stay here, we might as well just wait for-"

"I'm fine."

I had no idea I said that out loud till Edward came next to me, "Bella, how are you feeling?" he asked me with anxious eyes.

I forced myself to open my eyelids. "I told you, i'm fine!" I told him stubbornly.

Carlisle came to my other side, "Bella, does Charlie know you have this kind of sickness?"

I shook my head.

"Have you had this before?"

I shook my head once more.

"Do you want to go back to Forks?"

I didn't answer.

Edward placed a hand on my stomach, "Maybe she got this here in Hawaii."

The coolness of his hands made my stomach feel better.

"I don't know," came Carlisle's voice again.

Alice took my hand and apologized, "Bella I'm so sorry,"

I only gave her a smile in return; I had no strength to shake my head.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked me.

I was growing tired of this question. "Fine," I answered curtly.

"No more stomach aches?" Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

"No," I responded.

I felt Carlisle lift himself up from the side of the bed. "Bella," he said warily.

I opened my eyes.

Carlisle looked down at me, "I can't tell what's wrong, but you have to let one of us know if you feel any pain anywhere,"

I could only nod.

Carlisle stood erectly. "Well, Bella I think you should rest for now," he suggested.

Edward held my hand and my eyelids dropped slowly.

"Let's leave her alone."

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	6. The Omens

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! You're awesome:D **

**We still don't own Twilight or Edward. :(**

Chapter 6: The Omens

**Edward's POV**

I watched as she thrashed in pain in her sleep each night. With each progressing hour, the jerking happened even more frequently. Her face would twist in pain as she silently endured the pain. Oh, how I wished _I_ could be the one experiencing the pain instead of her. How I craved to erase all the distress she was feeling. How I hoped to hold her in my arms to chant soothing comments to calm her, to make her pain less. All these thoughts were driving me insane.

Carlisle still hasn't found the sickness Bella was suffering from. He had searched frantically through medical books. He had even called doctors in hopes of finding a way to identify illness that was slowly taking over Bella's conscious. But nothing was discovered. We were without any hope now.

Day by day, I saw Bella suffer. Watching her languish in pain, it felt like as if my heart was being ripped into pieces.

Her condition only got worse. She grew weaker each day, but we could only wait anxiously by, hoping for a miracle to happen.

* * *

As I walked slowly down the hall, I could hear Alice and Jasper arguing. 

"You have to tell him what you saw, Alice! I think he has the right to know," Jasper bellowed.

"But maybe it's not true. No, I _know_ it isn't true! It will never happen! It's probably just another biased vision I have!" Alice retorted, matching his tone.

"Edward has the right know anything concerning the well-being of Bella!" Jasper roared in rage.

"Bella is _not_ going to DIE!" Alice spat at Jasper furiously.

I froze in my tracks. Bella _dead_? No. NO! **NO!** I would never let this happen. No, I WON'T let it happen. I couldn't imagine never seeing the rich color of red whenever Bella blush again! To see her lying there, as cold and rigid as a stone, _no, I will never let that happen!_

The door of Jasper and Alice's roomed slammed open, and Alice stomped out of the room, her face reflecting her furious mood. When she saw me standing there, as still as a statue, she stopped dead in her shoes.

"Ed—ward," she stammered, her voice level was much lower than it had been a minute ago. "W-hat a-are you do-ing here?"

I just stared at her through narrow eyes. "Show me what you saw!" I commanded.

"W-hat are you talk-talking about?" She stuttered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

I glared at her, and told her, each word distinctive. "Show me the vision where Bella's dead."

_No, Edward! I didn't see anything! You must've misheard something._ She repeated over and over again in her mind.

I looked at her menacingly, "Show me, NOW!"

"NO!" she roared.

We glowered at each other.

Finally, I let out a sigh, and begged in a smaller voice, "_Please_, Alice."

Her expression softened slightly, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Edward, I can't show you the vision, it's too painful to watch."

She walked past me, leaving me to stand alone in the dark.

* * *

I sat down next to Bella's bed, holding her hand in mine. She looked paler, weaker, and so hopeless. My heart twisted in pain. She's so thin now; there is barely any meat on her bones. Looking at her wrist, I could see her blue and red veins popping out from her bones. I held her wrist gently. 

She looked so peaceful sleeping, so innocent and pure. Her fingers twitched and her eyelids slowly opened.

"Ed-ward," she croaked.

I held her hand to my face. "I'm here, sweetheart," I comforted her. Her eyes wer barely open and she was breathing deeply through her mouth.

"I'm- sorry," she said, lifting her hand to my face.

I shook my head, taking both of her hands. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for," I said frantically. "You did nothing wrong." I gently brushed her brown hair away from her heart-shaped face.

She let out a painful cough, her face twisted and she opened her eyes a bit more, "Hunt-ing?" she asked me.

With one word, I knew what she meant. "I haven't gone hunting," I answered her.

"H-long?"

I didn't want to admit I haven't gone hunting ever since I came here, so instead I changed the subject. "Don't care about my hunting dates, how are you feeling?"

Bella let out a deep breath, her sweet breath framed my nose, "F-n" was all she said before she started to throb in pain once more. She breaths came shallow and short. After a while, the rhythm of her breaths seemed to calm down a little. I watched as she drifted to sleep again.

I let down her arms and tucked them under the quilt. I glanced at the IV Charisle put in her arm a week ago and frowned. The needle stuck in her arm, the room, everything made her smell funny. I hadn't been able to inhale in her sweet scent for weeks now, and that thought suddenly made me furious.

I shouldn't have brought her here in the first place. If I hadn't invited her to come a long, she'd be happy, healthy, and safe in Forks, just as Charlie would hope.

Esme then entered the room, "Edward?" she requested, her air darting over to Bella's face.

I didn't look away from Bella.

"Edward, why don't you go hunt, I'll take care of Bella while you're gone," she offered.

As kind as her offer was, I shook my head. I didn't want to leave Bella. I had

had to cherish the time I could with her before… if Alice's vision come true, die. The thought made me snarl in anger. I made myself clear the thought out of my head.

Esme sat at the opposite seat of me, "Edward, you HAVE to hunt, your eyes are as black as coal," she said, her forehead was wrinkled with worry. "Go hunt, at least get something to eat," she pleaded.

I shook my head, "I'm not going to let her out of my sight,"

Esme held my hand, "Edward, please don't punish yourself for this," she begged. "This is not your fault,"

"It IS my fault," I said, finally looking at her with my, according to her, black eyes, "If I didn't bring her here, she would be perfectly fine back in Forks."

"Ed-"

"Please, Esme," I pleaded, "Just- let it go."

Esme was a very understanding person. She nodded, "Alright, if that's what you want."

She stood up and left the room, leaving me in silence.

From outside I heard Jasper and Alice again.

"Alice just do it!" I heard Jasper mutter.

"What? He's going to-"whatever Alice had to say was cut short when Jasper roughly pushed her inside the room.

I glared at her.

Alice took a breath and walked towards me, sitting down where Esme had sat earlier. "Edward," she began.

I didn't look up at her.

Alice sighed and took my hands in hers. "Edward, I saw Bella-dead," she said, shutting her eyes tightly. "I saw her lying on the bed motionless and she wasn't breathing."

I held my breath, waiting for her to continue, but she didn't. "Is that all you saw?" I needed an answer.

She sighed, "Yes,"

"How many times?"

"Twice, but they were both different, they just ended the same."

"What was the other one?" I demanded.

Alice withdrew her hands and leaned into her seat, "We brought her back to Forks, to Charlie and another doctor," she said slowly, "but she died, right when we brought her into the emergency room, we lost her on the cart," she said, looking away.

I put my hands to my face, "Oh my goodness,"

Alice touched Bella's hair. "Carisle doesn't have a lead to her sickness, and he's been cramming books all night and day,"she said. "Carisle thinks this situation is hopeless."

I shook my head, "It won't be hopeless," I said, looking straight into her eye, "I won't let Bella die, not under my watch,"

It was late. I knew from the color of the sky that it was at least 4 in the morning. Bella still lay deep in sleep. Sitting here wasn't going to help, I had to go see Carisle and see what he has.

I took one last look at Bella and promised her, even though I knew she couldn't hear me, "I'll be back in a bit, I promise I wont leave you." I kissed her forehead and dashed towards Carisle's room.

Before I opened the door of his office, I heard Carisle's thoughts.

_This is impossible… there's nothing that fits __her symptons! _

I gasped, _nothing_?

_I don't even know if she's going to __survive this, there's nothing to cure her! Damn it, if I don't find the right medicine soon, I'm afraid Bella is going to die. _

_Die_… I echoed the word in my head painfully.

I took a step away from the door and shook my head. Bella can't die. I won't let her die!

_How__ am I going to tell Edward this?_ Carlisle's thoughts were so clear it seemed like he had spoken outloud.

_He's going to flip; he's not going to like the news, but what- _

Then his thoughts were cut from my view. I put my ear against the thick wooden door and I heard the flapping of pages.

Finally, I heard Charisle's thoughts with one simple word that made me furious.

_Vampire_…

He meant to change her in order to save her…

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	7. Indecision

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you for the absolutely wonderful reviews! (:**

**To Murmmur: Ha. I went to Hawaii when I was three, but honestly, i don't remember ANYTHING that happened there. As for S, I'm not sure if she's been to Hawaii before. :P I'll have to check with her. Hmmm. I haven't really thought of which island the Cullens are on, any suggestions:D **

**Since Eclipse is coming out in less than 15 hours(YES:D), I don't think we'll be able to update as often this week. :P But don't worry, I promise an update tomorrow:D (or maybe later today:O) Haha. Anyway. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! **

**Still don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Edward. :(**

Chapter 7: Indecision

_Finally__ I heard Charisle__'s thoughts with one simple word that made me furious._

_Vampire…_

_He__ meant to change her in order to save her…_

I slammed open Carlisle's door, and stomped inside angrily, anger and rage building up in my chest. I was breathing harder than usual.

"NO! I will not let that happen! Changing Bella is **not** an option!" I was directly in Carlisle's face, my face contorted in agitation.

"Edward--" Carlisle started to say, but was promptly cut short by an earsplitting crash. I had flung his computer onto the floor.

Before Carlisle could react, Esme, Alice, and Jasper came bursting through the door.

"What happened in here?" Esme demanded. But then she noticed my fuming expression. I must have looked nothing like my old self because she cringed a little at my facial expression. "Edward? What's wrong?" She inquired in a distinctively softer tone.

I sighed, but didn't answer. I seemed to have calmed down a little.

"What happened?" Esme wanted to know, her gaze on Carlisle this time, stopping briefly when she saw the crashed computer.

Carlisle exhaled and closed his eyes, massaging his temple with a finger. "I…Well, the only solution that I could come up for Bella's sickness was to…change her into one of us. But just when I was thinking about this, Edward heard my thoughts, and he came in, instantly furious with me. Hence the broken computer…"

Instantaneously, I regretted what I had done. Carlisle was just trying to help. I turned to him and apologized, "I'm sorry, I guess I was just too caught up with my anger."

"It's alright." Carlisle assured me.

There was a long pause in the room.

"So," Alice said tentatively, breaking the silence. "What are we going to do?"

Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on me. I asked self-consciously, "What?"

"Edward," Carlisle sighed. "You know we have no other alternatives. Bella has to be changed, preferably as soon as possible…or else…" His voiced trailed off.

I clenched my fists, feeling anger rise in my chest again, and tightened my eyes, "No."

"Edward," Esme's voice came out no louder than a whisper. "This is our only choice, we have to take it."

"No," I refused.

Another long pause.

"Oh, for goodness sake, just because YOU won't save her doesn't mean _I _can't," Alice turned to face me, her eyes narrowing. "If _you're_ not going to change her, then _I_ will!"

She glared at me, and I scowled right back at her.

Abruptly, I felt a wave of calmness run through me. I tried to resist.

"Stop it, Jasper!" I roared, tossing him a dirty look.

"Stop avoiding the inevitable, Edward, you're just increasing the chances of losing her by trying to delay time." Jasper stared at me through intense eyes.

Despite the effort I had put into concealing the reality, I knew that Jasper had spoken the truth. I had postponed this conversation too many times, tried to escape from the inexoable for too long. But I knew, that I would _not_ be the one to damn Bella for eternity. I couldn't do that to her. I wasn't strong enough, both emotional and lust wise. I didn't trust myself to have the strength to resist the alluring scent of her blood.

I sighed in defeat, putting my head between my hands.

"Edward," Carlisle called hesitantly, "If you don't want to do this, I'll be able to do it. "

I let out a moan.

Carlisle took that as my consent. He nodded slowly, and informed me, "I'll change her tomorrow morning. Do you want to be there? Will you be able to handle it?"

Inside my chest, I felt something flip. I ignored it and looked straight into Carlisle's eyes, "I'll be there."

* * *

I stood in the front yard, watching as the sun slowly disappear into the horizon. I sighed. "And yet, another day has passed, it's twilight again," I muttered to myself.

Momentarily distracted by footsteps approaching me, I turned around and saw Rosalie making her way over to me.

I looked at her, taken by surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to tell you that you weren't the only one who had to go through this," Rosalie spoke softly. "I had to watch Emmett through the process, fighting the urge to drink from him during the whole process. So the feeling is mutual." She flashed me a small smile.

I glanced at her, "Thanks."

A smile appeared briefly on her exquisite face. "You're welcome."

I was confused. I had thought that if someone would be against turning Bella into a vampire, it would be Rosalie. But here she was, reassuring me that everything would be alright. I had never felt so grateful towards Rosalie through my whole existence.

"I don't know why i'm doing this," Rosalie echoed my thoughts. "I guess…I just can't stand seeing you being so torn over your love for her and your thirst for her blood. You _are _my brother, after all." Her mouth was twisted into a smile.

"Thanks," I told her, giving her a half-smile.

Neither of us spoke another word that night. We stood there, lost in our own thoughts, until the sun was completely covered by darkness.

* * *

Around 7 in the morning, I was sitting next to Bella. I looked down at her helpless figure and heard Jasper's words repeat in my head. "Stop avoiding the inevitable, Edward, you're just increasing the chances of losing her by trying to delay time"

I shook my head, I won't loose her.

Bella's chest went up and down with her steady breathing. Her tangled hair was spilled across the pillow and her mouth was slightly parted. She looked unusually pale and her lips conveyed a faint purple color. She had dark bags under her closed eyes.

She looked so helpless.

I reached my hand over and touched her cheekbones. I shuddered. There was no longer any meat on her cheeks. Only a layer of skin. Her skin was so translucent that I could vaguely see her veins.

Bella cracked open her tantalizing eyes. "Edw-ard," she called.

I abandoned my hand form her cheek. "Hi, Bella," I said, my heart twisting in pain, seeing her suffering so much. If only I could replace myself with her.

Then she said something I didn't expect her to say at a moment like this.

"Love- you," she murmured and fell back asleep.

I stiffened. "Oh dear God, Bella, I love you too," I said, touching her hair, "More than you'll ever imagine. I promise to you Bella, you will get well," I said with confidence, "I promise,"

"Edward?"

I turned my head slightly to see Alice and Jasper at the doorway. Not bothering to answer, I turned my head back and continued to watch over Bella.

I saw Jasper and Alice exchange glances and they headed towards me. They set themselves at the two chairs across from me.

I didn't look up at them.

"Edward, why don't you go and take a break, we'll watch Bella for a few minutes." Alice offered. "You haven't gone hunting in weeks."

"I'm fine," I bit out.

"Edward—"

I pounded my fist to my chair. "I said I'm fine!" I snapped.

Alice was taken back for a moment then she glared back at me. "What the hell's your problem?" she demanded. "The only reason why Bella is millimeters away from dying is because you refused to bring her back to Forks!" she growled, "Maybe if you had brought her back to Forks in the first place, she might have a better chance of surviving!"

I ignored her her cruel comment.

I knew Jasper used his powers on Alice because she glowered at him the same way I had back in Carlisle's room,"Oh stop it, Jasper!"

I saw Jasper raise his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair.

_Damn why is everyone saying that to me lately? I'm only trying to help._ Jasper's thoughts conveyed.

I smirked.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Edward Cullen!" Alice sneered. "When Carlisle changes her in 4 hours, don't you dare stop him."

_Damn, I hate, hate, HATE, this vision. If only I could get my hands on Edward's—_ Alice was thinking silently.

I heard her thoughts.

"What vision?" I asked.

Alice twitched her eyebrow, "What?"

"You said something about another vision," I pointed out. "What is it?"

Alice stood up from her chair and rolled her eyes, "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't have another vision!" she barked and stormed out of the room.

Jasper cleared his throat and stood up.

"What vision did she see, Jasper?" I demanded.

Jasper replied, "The same vision she had last time, except she saw her dead

at a really big mansion she couldn't picture out."

Our conversation continued until Bella suddenly jerked in her sleep and cried out in pain. She woke up with her breath coming out ragged and uneven.

Jasper and I immediately rose from our seats.

"Bella," My voice sounded desperate.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she started coughing viciously. She cupped her hands to her mouth and twisted her body in pain.

I put a hand to her back. "Bella, are you okay?" I asked, alarmed.

Her body rolling so violently, she jerked the IV needle from the back of her hand. Jasper quickly put distance between him and Bella.

I clenched my teeth, trying to resist my thirst. She continued to cough until I saw red blood dripping from her hands.

She had couched so harshly, blood started to spurt from her mouth.

The blood was too tempting. I knew if I didn't get Jasper out of here he'd attack her.

"Jasper get Carlisle here, NOW!" I commanded.

Jasper flew out of the room without another word.

I cupped her head to my chest and started patting her back softly.

"Ed-ward, it- hu-rts," she gasped.

"Where?" my breathing was disjointed. "Where does it hurt?"

Bella tossed and turned some more. "Ev-ery-where," she stuggled to answer.

She continued to spurt out more blood. I noticed that her sheets were all covered in blood.

"Ed-ward, I love- you," she said weakly, "Love- you,"

Damn, her blood was tempting. "Bella, don't you dare die on me," I ordered, my voice was wild. "You can't die, _no_, you _won't_ die! Bella, do you hear me? I won't let you die!"

Just then Carlisle and the rest of the family rushed into the room. Most of them took a step backwards, seeing all of the blood on the sheets, but Carlisle ignored the blood.

He checked her body over and he commanded, "Esme, get some bandages and wrap Bella's hand up, her blood isn't stopping." Esme obeyed without another word and within minutes, her hand was wrapped up neatly.

"Ed-"Bella gasped, her tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Bella hang in there, please" I begged.

"How is she?" Emmett asked, bracing himself from the blood.

Carlisle sighed, "We have to change her now," he said, "Or else she won't make it through the morning," he said, looking at me.

_Edward,_ his eyes searching for my understandment. _It's for the best._

I clenched my teeth. I wasn't sure if I was bracing myself from the smell of Bella's blood, or from Carlisle's sudden change of plans. I nodded stonily, "Do it."

Carlisle nodded and glanced at the rest of the family. Then he pulled the collar of Bella's shirt lower and touched his lip to her throat.

I held my breath, praying.

Carlisle flashed his teeth and touched it to her throat.

Bella cried out loud as Carlisle sank his white teeth into her tender flesh.

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	8. Seeking For Help

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they're really great:D**

**I know something...not logical will occur in this chapter, but I promise you that it will be cleared up in the next chapter. You people are in for a shock:D muahahaha**

**Everything - our weird plot own by Stephenie Meyer.**

**I can't wait till I get my copy of Eclipse:D**

Chapter 8: Seeking for Help

_Bella cried out loud __as Carlisle sank his white teeth into her tender flesh._

Everyone stared at Bella intently as Carlisle slowly pulled his mouth away from her throat.

Nothing happened.

Bella still thrashed in pain from the stabbing she was experiencing, but she did not seem to be feeling the firey burn that was supposed be felt during the transformation.

"Ed--" Bella's hoarse voice called me. "I…can't feel the burning in…in my veins like last time. Wha-what's happening?"

I took her hand in mine, soothing her by caressing her skin with my finger. "I…" I didn't know the answer to her question. I looked up at Carlisle warily.

His expression was bewildered. He had clearly never been through this kind of situation before. Noticing my expression, he shook his head lightly.

_This is never happened before_, his mind told me, _I don't know what to do._

I continued to stare at him, but when he shook his head once more, a painful sensation was drawn through me.

She was not going to survive this. I will never be able to hold her in my arms again. The redness when she blushed scarlet was never to be seen by my eyes again. I wouldn't be able to feel her sweet warm breath against my skin anymore.

My head went blank. I dropped Bella's hands, and walked out of the room like a dead man walking. I was numb, I couldn't feel anything.

* * *

Hours later, my family and I were gathered in Carlisle's room. We stood in silence, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Carlisle sighed. "I guess we have no other options now…"

"What?" Alice hissed menacingly, "So we're just going to stand and watch Bella _leave_ us? Can't you do something? _ANYTHING_?"

"Surely there must be some other way to save her, " Esme put in.

"I'm afraid I can't think of any other ways," Carlisle's expression was pained.

"Edward?" I heard Esme ask softly. "Are you all right?"

I didn't answer her, my whole body was rigid and tense.

"Oh for goodness sake, why don't we just go to Italy?" Rosalie's impatient voice blurted. "They're known as the royal family of vampires. They must know SOMETHING."

"Wow, Rose. That's the best idea you've ever come up with!" Emmett's amused tone seemed to irritate Rosalie.

"Just because I'm so beautiful doesn't mean I'm not capable of making intelligent suggestions," was her indignant reply.

"Guys, stop fighting!" Esme interjected.

They stopped arguing, but Rosalie stared at Emmett through narrowed eyes.

"I've been thinking about what Rosalie said," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "I suppose that seeking for the Volturi's help could be an option." He turned his gaze to me. "Edward?"

"I'll do anything to save Bella."

"All right, then it's settled. We depart for Italy tomorrow morning. But who's going to stay here and take care of Bella?" Carlisle looked around the circle.

"Rosalie and I will, " Esme volunteered.

"Okay. Go pack your bags, we have a plane to catch." Carlisle commanded.

* * *

I quickly packed anything that came in my view. I didn't even care if the clothes matched. I was to save Bella, if that was the last thing I did. I continued dumping in things, useful or not, until I came upon the CD I made Bella. I touched the frame quietly, lost in my thoughts.

"Edward, you ready?" it was Jasper.

I tore my eyes away from the CD case, "Yeah," I nodded and closed my bag, tossing it over my shoulder, "Wait—"

Jasper turned, his expressed confused.

I shoved my bag into his arms, "I'll only be a minute," I answered shortly, walking away.

I scurried into Bella's room with heavy footsteps. Emmett and Rosalie were already in the room, talking quietly.

Emmett looked up, "Edward,"

Rosalie glanced behind her shoulder and nodded a greeting.

"Hi," I answered curtly, "You think I can have a minute?" I asked, pointing at Bella.

Emmett and Rosalie nodded and quickly exited the room.

I took a breath and sat down, "Bella," I murmured.

Bella didn't stir.

"I'm sorry but I have to leave you for a couple of days," I said, tracing her heart-shaped face, "I'll be back as soon as possible, Bella. I love you." I laid my lips on her forehead, "I love you," I said once more and swiftly left the room.

"Take care of her," I muttered to Rosalie and Esme, looking deep into their eyes. "I'll be back soon," and I took off. By the time we got to the airport, it was already 10 in the morning. Busy people walked around the place and Carlisle quickly booked us seats for Italy.

"Listen to me, lady, I'm bringing this luggage on the plane with me,"Carlisle snapped, he was not behaving like his usually self , "I have no time for this,"

"I'm sorry sir, but this luggage is too big to be brought upper desk.

Carlisle snarled, "Listen—"

"Carlisle," Alice warned. "Miss…" she paused, indicating the lady's name.

"Mrs. Ranks."

"Mrs. Ranks," Alice said, "Please just let my father bring this up deck with him. We are in a hurry and we have no time for this."

_Wow this guy sure has a hot family_, a chain of thoughts flashed through Mrs. Rank's mind.

I sighed impatiently. Then I rose from my seat and I put a hand on the counter.

"Lady either you let him bring that luggage up there or you're going to have a sorry ass day," I growled.

She appeared shocked. I didn't go through her mind to dig through what she's thinking. Damn, why is she such a tramp?

"But—"

I slammed my fist down on the counter, "Now!" I barked.

The lady jumped and let Carlisle's luggage pass.

Alice chuckled humorlessly, "Man, you sure know how to get a lady—"

"Save it, Alice," I muttered, heading towards the airplane.

Through the entire plane ride to Italy, my mind was only focused on Bella,  
and only Bella.

* * *

I was out of my seat before the airplane had completely landed. Grabbing my carry-on bags, I impatiently told the rest of my family, who were still fumbling with their seat belts, to hurry up.

Alice was able to steal a car very quickly, so we all got on to the car, and sped off towards Volterra.

I tried to look out the window to calm my nerves, but we were driving at a rate that was so fast that everything past by as a blur.

We arrived in 10 minutes. Jumping out of the car, we ran desperately towards the place where the Volturi lived.

Upon approaching the front door of the building, a vampire guard stopped us.

"And may I ask where you think _you're_ going?" he snarled.

"We are here to see Aro," Carlisle replied.

"Well, I'm afraid that you won't be able to see him. He is not to be seen by just _any_ vampire," the guard sneered.

"Look," Emmett glared at him menacingly, "Carlisle is an old friend of Aro, and I am certain that Aro would be delighted to see him. So, why don't you just get out of the way, and we won't hurt you?"

Emmett's threat seemed to scare the guard since he cringed a little.

"I am the chief vampire guard for the Volturi, and you will NOT speak to me like this. I will not let you in, and that is final," he said, his voice trembling a little.

That's when I got into his face. "LOOK. MY GIRLFRIEND IS DYING OF SOME UNKNOWN DISEASE. AND WE ARE HERE TO ASK ARO IF HE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT IT, ALL RIGHT? SO JUST LET US IN BEFORE WE HURT YOU!" I roared in rage, my chest was heaving harder than usual.

"What's going on here?" a voice came from behind as a petite girl walked towards us.

"Ugh. Jane," Alice muttered.

"Do we have a problem?" Jane stared at the guard.

He stammered, "Well…Miss Jane, these extremely _impolite_ people wants to see Master Aro. But I wouldn't let them in, so now they're threatening to hurt me."

"Oh, do you have no eyes? This _person_ over here," Jane mocked the guard's voice, gesturing towards Carlisle, "is a great friend of Aro. Now let them in, and I'll seek for your punishment later." Jane motioned us to follow her.

Jane led us into a waiting room, and told us, "I'll go inform Master that you are here to see him at once. Please wait here during the meantime." She left the room right after saying the last word.

"I hope Aro has a way to cure Bella," Emmett said.

"Don't worry," Carlisle assured him, but his gaze was on me, "I'm sure he'll find a way to save her."

No one said another word for ten minutes.

Finally, Jane reentered the room and informed, "Master Aro is waiting in his room, I will take you to him. Please follow me."

We walked towards Aro's room, and I took a deep breath as I lifted my feet to walk into the room that will determine the fate of my sweet Bella.

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	9. The Ambivalent Impasse

**A/N: Hey guys! Once again, your reviews have been absolutely awesome:D**

**Unfortunately, I still have not gotten my copy of Eclipse yet. (NOOO:() Does it seriously take Amazon that long to ship books to Asia? Haha, oh well.**

**So please, no spoilers:)**

**Ahhh. I can't wait to find out what happens in Eclipse!**

**Oh. And you guys will find a quote from New Moon when Bella tried to stop Edward from leaving!**

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 9: The Ambivalent Impasse

_We walked towards Aro's room, and I took a deep breath as I lifted my feet to walk into the room that will determine the fate of my sweet Bella._

"Carlisle! What a pleasant surprise!" Aro's voice filled the room.

"Long time no see, Aro," Carlisle nodded towards the vampire.

"As honored as I am for your abrupt visit, may I ask what brings you and your family all the way to Volterra?" Aro asked Carlisle.

"Well. You do remember Bella – Isabella Swan- from the last visit that Edward and Alice paid you," there was a hint of uncertainty in Carlisle's voice.

"Ah, yes, Edward's _La tua cantante_, I do remember that wonderful yet mysterious girl. How is she?" Aro seemed to recall Bella's immunity to his power.

"Yes, that is her." For once since I've known him, Carlisle seemed uneasy. "Bella has caught a disease that I cannot identify. We are here to seek for your assistance. We want to know if you know a way to cure her."

"Hmm…" Aro furrowed his eyebrow. "Please describe the disease that's causing her pain."

"She would experience piercing pain in her stomach without warning. It feels like as if thousands of needles are stabbing her, she says. But just as sudden as the pain begins, it stops. The attacks have been occurring more and more frequently, and lasting longer. Before we departed, Bella was starting to cough out blood. I tried to change her into one of us, but…" Carlisle's voice trailed off.

"-but her body did not react to the venom? She wasn't able to be transformed in a vampire?" Aro finished Carlisle's sentence while nodding his head slowly.

"Yes," Carlisle seemed to be a little relieved. "Do you know the disease that's been hurting her?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Aro stated.

I felt hope seeping though my body. Happiness filled my tense body, and I relaxed a little.

"However," Aro went on, "this disease is extremely rare, as I have only seen one similar case in the three thousands years that I have lived."

"Is the disease curable?" Carlisle's voiced worriedly. "If it is, then how-"

"Carlisle," Aro interrupted, "you will, _no_, _Edward_ will have two ways to save Bella, however…"

Upon hearing this, I said quickly, "Aro, I'd do _anything_ to save Bella."

"Very well, then, please follow me," he motioned me to follow him. "May I ask all of your family to stay in here. I would like to speak to Edward in private."

I followed him into a small room, and he closed the door quietly behind me.

"Edward," Aro started, "Do you love Isabella?"

What kind of question was that? Of course I love Bella. She's my world, my universe. I love her with all my heart, with everything that I have.

"Yes, I do. There's no doubt in that," I answered confidently, meeting his eyes.

"And I take it that Miss Swan loves you too?" Aro asked.

Clips of Bella telling me she loves me and wants to be with me together flashed through my head.

"Yes," I responded steadily, still staring at him.

"So you two are, in other words, each other's true love?" I could see Aro's eyes scrutinizing my face.

"That is correct."

"Very well, then," Aro sighed. "Then you are indeed the one and only person who are able to cure Bella."

When he saw that my expression was confused, he clarified, "Bella has gotten Ecloria, a disease obtained when a person is bitten by a kind a snake named Eclorim. This kind of snake is attracted to the sweet scent coming off of our skins."

"Then why would it bite Bella?" my faced composed of skepticism and befuddlement.

"I believe it's because some of the sweet scent coming off of your skin lingered on her when you hugged or touched her," the pale vampire explained.

"Then when did it-?"

"Where were you on vacation?" Aro wanted to know.

"Hawaii," I answered, examining his facial expression.

Aro nodded, "Ah,"

I waited for more to come out of his mouth, but he said nothing. He pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows like he was putting great consideration into something. I gently tapped my foot, but a few seconds later the slow and steady rhythm accelerated as I grew impatient.

Aro finally looked at me, searching for words, "Edward, there's a legend,"  
he began.

I instantly stopped tapping my foot and stood erect to listen.

"Over four- thousand years ago, there was a vampire, Polotimus, who fell in  
love with a human girl named Atlianta. They were known to be great friends for a long time. Polotimus struggled within himself on whether he should declare his love for her. Finally, he came to a decision: he would confess to Atlianta how much he loved her. Unfortunately, once he announced his love for  
her, the girl told him that she only loved him as a friend. When he told her he wanted to bring their relationship to a higher level, the girl left abruptly. It was rumored that the last words she said to him before her departure him was, 'Vampires and Humans were never meant to be together. I thought you knew better'. The heartbroken Polotimus went absolutely ballistic. He cursed humans for being such fickle beings. All his anger and sorrow was turned into a kind of poison that he put into a special kind of snake, the Eclorim. The kind of poison that the snake has can dissolve any other kind of venom, which explains why Bella had no reaction when Carlisle attempted to change her. If a person were to be bitten by the snake, he or she would need the true love of his or her vampire lover to save his or her life." Aro paused, scrutinizing my expression, "Which means that only you can save her, Edward."

I narrowed my eyes, "Which means that I have to change her," it was clearly a rhetorical question.

Aro nodded, still examining my facial expression intently.

"How much time does she have left?" I asked, my fists clenching together.

"If she had had the disease for two weeks, then she won't be able to keep up for much longer. If you intend to save her, you have to do it, quick."

I ran a hand through my hair, not believing what I was hearing right  
now. "Is there really no other way for me to save her?" I demanded.

Aro pursed his lips in thought. "There is… one last way," he pronounced each  
word carefully as if he was talking to a 10 year old who doesn't understand  
English.

"What is it?"

Aro frowned, "There's- um- this kind of potion that she can drink to heal  
herself-"

My mind raced in excitement, "So after she drinks it she'll be better?" I  
asked eagerly, hope running through my veins.

Aro shook his head. "She will heal," his voice revealed his reluctance to answer my question," but she won't remember any memories of you," he finished in a rush.

I was dumbstruck.

"Excuse me?" I continued to stare at his face, not able to comprehend what I had just heard

"She won't remember you, at all. She won't remember the first time you two  
ever met," Aro clarified, sadness filling his eyes.

I felt myself move two steps backwards. "No memory at all?" I demanded, "She'll forget everything?"

Aro nodded, "Do you-"

I put a hand up, indicating him to be quiet for a moment so I can think.  
The words that I had told Carlisle the night before came to mind clearly. 'Changing Bella is not an option!' I could still remember the confidence I had when I had spoken those words. However, uncertainty washed through me. If I don't change Bella, she'll forget every second we had ever spent together. My heart twisted painfully, I knew I was breathing harder than usual.

_But if you change her, you'll ruin her life,_ a small voice inside my head said. I thought about the experiences she would miss if she were to be turned into a vampire. I would not end her life. It would selfish of me to let her be damned for an eternity just because I wanted to preserve the precious memories we shared. Bella deserved better than me.

Suddenly, Bella's voice came into my head. _NO! This is about my soul, isn't it?_ Bella's impossibly sweet voice had demanded. _Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you – It's yours already!_

I brushed off the thought before it could affect my decision.

"I'm taking the potion," I asserted, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

This time it was Aro who was dumbstruck, "What?"

"I'm not going to change her," I pronounced, "I'd rather sacrifice what we  
ever had, and let her return to her normal human life again."

Aro's pale face was emotionless, "Edward, are you sure?"

I paused for a brief second, "Positive," I held out my hand. "May I have the potion please?"

Aro sighed and called, "Jane,"

A few seconds later, I heard Jane's scurried footsteps approach the closed door. She opened the door, popping her head inside the room, "Yes, Master Aro?" she waited Aro to give her orders.

"Jane, dear, bring me the potion that's put in that special box, please," Aro  
commanded.

Jane left the room hurriedly.

Painful silence filled the room.

I closed my eyes, waiting for Jane to reappear with the potion.  
Minutes later, she arrived to the room again and handed Aro a  
tiny red box.

Aro nodded and opened the lock with a small key.

Inside the box lay a tiny transparent bottle holding a gold liquid. I took out the bottle and slipped the small container into my coat pocket.

Aro and I returned to the enormous room. My family instantly stood up and looked at my curiously. I ignored their questioning thoughts and turned to Aro, "Thank you, Aro," I told him gratefully.

Aro nodded. "Give her my best regards, Edward," he said, shaking my hand, "It's been great meeting her."

I could only manage a small nod.

A few minutes later, my family and I headed towards the airport. Carlisle  
was the first to speak up in the car.

"Edward, what did Aro say?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah, what did he mean 'it's been great meeting her'?" Alice questioned, I could hear the anxiousness she was trying to disguise.

Sighing, I explained everything that happened in the room. When I finished, everyone stared at me in horror, they expressions were dubious.

Alice put a hand on my shoulder. "Edward, think about this clearly. Is it really necessary?" she begged, her eyes pleading.

I shook her hand off my shoulder, "I'm positive about this, Alice," I  
looked at her with hard eyes, "I've never been more certain in my entire existence."

The rest of the ride to the airport was spent in silence.

On the plane, I held the tiny bottle in my hands.

_Bella, hang in there; I will be back soon. I won't let anything  
happen to you, my Bella_. I promised to her

For the first time in two weeks, I had no doubts on my decision.

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	10. The End

**A/N: I still haven't gotten Eclipse yet, argh! But i've heard that some people were disappointed in Eclipse. Hmmm. Was it really that bad? Oh well. I'm still eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive. **

**This chapter, even though it's called The End, it is most definitely NOT the end of this story. You will find out why it's called The End when you finish the chapter. (Although i think most of you already have pretty good guesses.)**

**Anyway, hope you like this chapter!**

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 10: The End

Bella, hang in there; I will be back soon. I won't let anything  
happen to you, my Bella._ I promised to her_

_For the first time in two weeks, I had no doubts on my decision._

After the seemingly long flight, we arrived at the Hawaii airport at dawn. The sky was still slightly obscured by remnants of fog lingering in the air. But I had no time to enjoy the scenery. No one in my family said a word on the drive back to the beach house. Occasionally, I would catch Alice throwing frantic glances at me. I ignored her, and looked out the window.

Finally, we reached the house. I jumped out of the car without a word, slamming open the house door. Rushing upstairs into Bella's room, I could see the drastic change in her appearance during the hours of my absence. She looked so helpless, so vulnerable. My heart twisted in pain.

I was by her side in an instant. Hearing my approach, Bella struggled to open her eyelids.

"H-hi," she choked out, gasping for air.

"Hey," I said softly. Even though I knew she was suffering from the constant stabbing in her stomach, I still asked her, "How are you feeling?"

"I've had…better moments," she answered, a small smile forming on her pale lips. Her smile reminded me of the wonderful times we've spent together.

Indecision overwhelmed me. Could Istand the pain of existing for the rest of my soulless life knowing that _I _had been the one to destroy my only true love? Would I be able to stand idly by while seeing Bella forget everything that had ever happened between us and thrust into another man's arms?

I sat on the chair silently, while my head was filled with all the dread of losing Bella's love.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of bony, yet soft hands slip into my own hands. I looked down, and saw Bella looking at me intently.

"What's wrong?" my angel's chocolate-brown eyes were filled with concern.

"I-," I hesitated.

Noticing my pained expression, Bella's voice trembled as she queried, "Am I going to…?"

"NO!" I dismissed that thought; it was the most absurd idea ever. Bella was not going to die as long as I was able it prevent happening. I lowered my voice and told her in a softer tone, "Bella…have you ever…thought about how much better your life would be without me?"

"Never!" despite her papery-colored skin, I could still see her face pale as she registered what I had asked her. "You're that best thing that _has_ ever, and _will_ ever happen to me!"

"But what if…the only way to survive was to forget everything that has ever happened between us?" I pronounced each word with emphasis.

"Then…I would rather die!" she stated steadily, even though her voice was weak.

I clenched my fists, and stared at her through hardened eyes. When she noted my reaction, she demanded, "What happened? Why are you asking me these extremely ridiculous questions? You _know_ that I'll want to be with you no matter what happens, and that I'd rather _die_ than to sacrifice our memories. Without you, I'd just be a being with a _body_, a being without a _soul_. You're everything to me, Edward."

I took a deep breath. I knew that I shouldn't have mentioned those questions, so I forced myself to relax a little.

"Moot point," I lied, trying to smile at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "That didn't exactly sound like one."

"Trust me," I pressed.

I don't know what she saw in my eyes, but she didn't say another word for a long time.

We sat there, just gazing into each other's eyes. While looking into her eyes, it seemed as if the world started to cease in existence. Everything slowly faded away until there was only Bella and me.

"Edward?" Alice's tentative voice pulled me back to reality.

"Yes?" I replied, still holding Bella's gaze.

"Carlisle wants to talk to you," Alice said.

I sighed and let go of Bella's hands. I brushed my thumb against her cheek, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Bella nodded, and closed her eyes slowly.

* * *

When Alice and I arrived in Carlisle's room, all of my family members were already gathered there.

No one spoke a word as I entered the room.

Finally breaking the ice, Esme asked me softly, "Is it really so painful for you to make her one of us?"

"I-I don't want to damn her to our way of living," I murmured.

"But-" Alice interjected.

"I made my decision the moment Aro showed me the potion," I shot her a glare, silencing her protests.

"Very well, then," Carlisle sighed, speaking for the first time since I entered the room. "If Edward has already made up his mind…I guess there's no way of altering his decision."

I nodded curtly.

"Carlisle-" Alice started.

"Yes?"

"Will Bella forget _everything_? She won't remember me anymore? Will she remember her family?" if it were possible, Alice looked like she might cry.

"Yes and no," Carlisle replied in an agonized voice. "Bella will only remember the events that happened _before_ she met Edward."

When he saw our puzzled expression, he elucidated, "She will remember anything that happened before she came to Forks. She will recognize anyone she met before arriving in Forks. But anything that happened after that…" his voice trailed off.

Everyone turned to face me, I averted my gaze. I blocked out their thoughts.

Realizing there would be no way to change my decision, Alice asked me, "So when are you going to…give her the potion?"

"Tonight."

"Can I be by her side when she drinks it?" Alice's eyes were pleading.

"Yes." Alice had been Bella's best friend after all.

"If there's nothing more you wanted to say, may I be excused?" Without waiting for an answer, I left the room.

* * *

I stayed beside Bella until the sky had been completely covered by darkness. There were no stars today. The moon was absent as well.

Alice entered the room quietly, and made her way to my side.

"It's 11," she informed me. Her eyes were hopeful, like she was hoping that I had changed my decision.

I sighed and said, "All right."

I shook Bella awake softly. She fluttered her eyes and stared at me with a confused expression.

"We found a way to cure you when we visited the Volturi," I told her.

She eyes seemed to light up at my statement, but lost its anticipation when she noticed my expression.

"What? Is there a side effect to it?" Bella wanted to know.

"Oh no!" I quickly cleared the pained expression off my face. "I'm just disappointed that after this, you're going to return to your old stubborn self. I'm going to need a lot of patience with you." I attempted to make a joke.

Bella rolled her eyes and said, "Well? What is the thing that can cure me?"

I handed her the tiny bottle and told her, "Just drink the medicine and you'll be good as new tomorrow morning."

"Hmm. Okay," Bella took off the lid and put the bottle near her mouth.

"Wait!" I interrupted.

Bella shot me a questioning look, "What?"

"I-I love you, Bella! I'll always give you the best." Inside my head, I added painfully, _Please don't blame me for doing this. It's for the best. If somehow, you recover your memories, please don't hate me_. My lifeless heart seemed to flip in my chest.

"I know," Bella smiled at me and drank the potion.

She slowly lay back on the bed and said, "Hmm. I feel better already!"

I leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Bella, I love you. Please don't hate me." I whispered before she was unconscious.

* * *

Later, I found myself standing in the front yard. I thought about all the wonderful times Bella and I had spent together.

My mind flashed to small house I had stayed when I left Bella. I had just received the painful news of Bella's suicide from Rosalie. I still remembered the way my fingers trembled as I dialed the familiar numbers.

"_Swan Residence_,_"_ an unfamiliar voice had answered the phone.

I asked for Charlie, while imitating Carlisle's voice.

"_He's not here." _

When I asked where he was, the voice answered unwillingly, _"He's at the funeral."_

The line went dead. Unknowingly, I had hung up the phone. The world twirled around me. My heart ached, and I knew at once what I had to do. I would go to the Volturi, and ask them to end my life. Maybe, after my death, I would see Bella again. If God was kind enough, maybe he'd let me be with my Bella after I die. And then we could be together forever, nothing would separate us.

As I recalled these events, I laughed at myself.

_Edward Cullen, how foolish and asinine of you to fall for a human girl, an ordinary and plain human_.

But deep inside I knew Bella wasn't just some ordinary human. She was my true love. She had been the one to change me completely, taming the monster buried inside me. She had found the lost human feelings that I had never imagined to retrieve.

Suddenly, the image of Bella in Volterra came into my mind. She had come to stop me from exposing myself in front of the crowd.

"_Edward," _she had gasped, _"You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!"_

I wasn't paying attention to a word she had said. I couldn't believe how lucky I was, how kind God was to me. Bella was in my arms again. I stroked her cheek softly. Oh, how I had missed her.

"_We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi-" _Bella's desperate voice had tried to convince me.

Abruptly, I snapped back to reality, trying to wave the memories away. They were too painful to remember now that I knew that I would never be able to be with Bella again.

I missed her, even though she was still in her room, resting silently. I couldn't imagine what my world would be like when she wakes up and not recognize me.

She was my savior, the one who had created sparks in my pointless existence.

**Okay, you guys probably hate us for doing this. But if Edward had changed Bella, then the story would have to end here. Honestly, 10 chapters is a little too short isn't it? So that's why we've decided to let Bella drink the potion. _Now _the story starts to get interesting. ;P Hehe. Please hang in there with us, we adore Edward and Bella too much to not let them NOT to be together. :D**

**Anyway, reviews would be absolutely wonderful:D**


	11. The New Comers

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry that we weren't able to update yesterday. Fanfiction. net wouldn't let us upload.**

**Anyway, we wanted your opinions on what direction the story should take. Would you like to create another conflict by adding another character, or something else?**

**Suggestions would be awesome. :D**

**I STILL haven't gotten Eclipse yet. ARGH! Oh, the anticipation BURNS!!**

**Haha. Anyway. This chapter takes place 2 years after the previous chapter. Bella's been in the University of Alaska Southeast (hehe. we got the idea from the first chapter of Eclipse, when Edward and Bella both recieve their acceptance letters.) for two years. A boy and his sister transfer to the school. (guess who:D)**

**Read on to find out more:D All characters belong Stephenie Meyer.**

Chapter 11: The New Comers

**2 years later; Bella's POV**

"BELLA!!!!!" my roommate, Allison, came bursting through the door and informed me excitedly, "Oh my gosh! You won't believe it! This REALLY hot guy and her sister just transferred to our school!"

"Um…okay. Why should I be excited about this?" I asked her.

"Uh, _hello_, in case you haven't notice, you've been in college for TWO years, and still don't have a boyfriend. You're beautiful, and Edward – the new guy- is just ultra-gorgeous! You guys would make a _perrrrfect_ couple!" she put an emphasis on the "Perfect".

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! I haven't even _met_ this 'gorgeous' guy. Plus, there are plenty of available _and_ beautiful girls in our dorm that he can choose from. What makes you think he'll choose me?" I attempted to calm the too-worked-up Allison down.

"Fine," she pouted. "But I swear if you see him, you'll _totally_ fall in love with him. If it weren't because I'm already with Josh, I'd _totally_ go out with him."

I ignored her, and continued to stare at the book I was reading.

"I'm going to check him out again," Allison told me after a minute. "Are you coming?"

"No thanks," I replied. "Why don't you go enjoy the scenery yourself? I've got some work to catch up on." I pointed at the pile of reports that I needed to work on.

"Fine," she repeated. "I'll be back later."

As abruptly as she had entered the room, she left.

I've been attending the University of Alaska Southeast for two years now. I had chosen to come to this school because the name brought an unfamiliar sense of warmth to me whenever I thought about it. It was odd since I've never been to Alaska in my entire life. Yet, when I deciding on what college to attend, the University of Alaska Southeast came to my mind, so that's how I ended up at this school.

What was really weird, though, was that I couldn't really remember anything that happened after I moved to Forks in my junior year. Everything seemed to go by like a blur. It seemed like as if that period of my life was blank. The fact that I couldn't recall anything from the last two years of my high school career disturbed me. Charlie had not been really helpful on regaining my memory either. Every time I asked him about it, he'd just change the subject as quickly as I had come up with it. It was getting on my nerves. Over time, my desire to pursue memories of my junior and senior year slowly dissolved. I got over it, and went on with my life. Although during moments like this, the urge of finding out more about the two mysterious years of my life would overwhelm me so much that I end up hyperventilating.

However, sometimes when I sleep, I would dream of a bronze haired boy. I could never see his face clearly because he was always under a shadow. Under the shade though, I could vaguely see that he had an angular nose and prominent cheekbones. His eyes were dark, gleaming with an odd shade of gold. He never talked or answered my questions. He just stood there, silently looking at me. There was something familiar about him that I couldn't really explain. It felt like I knew him, but I was sure that I have never seen him in my life.

The dreams always ended up with me chasing after the exquisite boy while he slowly disappeared into the dark. I would run desperately after him and eventually lose him. Abruptly, the dream would end, leaving me breathless and confused.

After a while, when these dreams happened more and more frequently, I came to the conclusion that the boy in my dream probably had something to do with the missing years of my life.

I started to hope that I could meet him someday. Sometimes during the day, I would think of him. I thought up questions that I would ask him if I ever meet him.

Unintentionally, I began to think about him so much that he became a part of my life.

* * *

"Ugh, I'm going to be late!" I muttered to myself, dashing through the almost empty hallway towards my Chemistry lab. "Mr. Kart is going to burn me alive!"

The first warning bell rang and I felt my heart beat pump wildly against my ribs.

Damn.

As I dashed down the stairs my knees buckled below me and I tumbled forward, my books flew out of my arms.

Before my head could hit the floor, I felt a pair of cool arms wrap protectively around my waist and smoothly pulled me up.

"Are you okay?" a velvety voice asked.

I cracked open my eyes and saw a pair of golden eyes staring down at me intently."Y-yes," I stammered, squirming out of his arms, which he let go quickly.

He bent down to pick up my text books and handed them to me. "You should watch out, you're bound to get hurt," he murmured. His eyes were sort of dazed, like he was in a dream.

I laughed nervously. "Thanks," I heard the second bell ring and began to panic. "Oh my goodness, I have to get to class. Thanks again! See you around!" I waved and raced towards the Chemistry lab.

* * *

I opened the door knob once I arrived and peeked into the lab room, hoping to see the professor absent.

Instead I got, "Thank you for joining us, Miss Swan." Mr. Kart, the chemistry professor, glared at me. "Why don't you go take a seat?" he spat at me in a cold tone. "And let me remind you that I do not tolerate tardiness."

I nodded. "Sorry I'm late, sir," I muttered, dashing towards my seat.

Mr. Kart gave me one hard look and returned to his lecture. I quickly fished open my text book after peering at the page number from the student next to me.

That's when I noticed the student wasn't my usual partner. It was the boy I met in the hallway. How did he get here before me, anyway? He was sitting casually with his arms propped on the table. His head was leaning on his hands, which gave me a clear view of his delicate features.

He had memorizing golden eyes and hair in a strange shade of blonze. His jaw was hard and he had high cheekbones. His arms were muscular and pale, like his face. All things considered, he could easily pass as a model.

Then I frowned, he reminded me an awful lot of the boy from my dreams. Who was he?

"Edward, why don't you do this problem?" Mr. Kart's voice brought back my focus.

Edward! That's right! The new student that transferred here with his sister! The boy that Allison was completely crazy about. I had to admit, though, Edward was _very _attrative. I envied the girl who was able to capture his heart. However, when the image of Edward being with another girl flashed through my mind, I felt a wave of resentment rush through me.

_That__'s odd_, I thought, _I don't even know this guy._

While I was once again lost in my own world, Edward stood up from his seat without replying and walked- more like danced- towards the white board.

He wrote the answer on the board confidently and strolled back to his seat. Needless to say, his answer was correct.

"Hi, my name is Edward Cullen," his soft voice introduced.

"Hey. I'm Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella," I replied, my voice staggering a little.

He chuckled. "I know," he whispered.

I raised my eyebrows at him. How would he know? He'd never seen me until a couple of minutes ago. Hmm. Maybe Allison told him when she was 'checking him out'.

Edward merely shook his head and said, "Never mind about that."

The rest of class went by as a blur. I spent the whole time sneaking glances at Edward. Occasionlly, I caught him staring at me through sad and wistful eyes, kind of like how someone would look at a lover.

_Well, that's interesting_, I said silently.

**While i wait anxiously for Eclipse to come, I'd love reviews to keep me company. muahaha. :D I hope I get it tomorrow!**


	12. An Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: Loved the awesome reviews:D Keep them coming!!**

**STILL no Eclipse. I swear that i'm ganna die of waiting! **

**All characters belong to SM.**

Chapter 12: An Unexpected Visitor

Well, that's interesting,_ I said silently._

I knew that I shouldn't be so obsessed over a guy, but it seemed like as if I couldn't resist spending time with Edward. He had a certain charm to him that made his presence very memorizing. I enjoyed his company. _A lot_.

We talked to each other more often now, and I got a chance to meet his sister, Alice.

Alice had unique and delicate features like Edward. She had pallid skin like him, too. Her hair was short and pixie-like. Just like how I had felt about Edward, Alice seemed oddly familiar to me. It felt like I knew her from somewhere, but I could not have possibly met her before this.

After a couple of weeks, Alice and I had become really close friends. We told each other a lot of things. When I mentioned to her about the two "missing" years of my life, I thought I saw something flash in her eyes as her face went bleak for a moment. However, when I asked her what was wrong, she quickly wiped the smoldering expression off her face.

* * *

Today, when Alice and I were walking to our class, I received an unexpected invitation.

"Hey Bella, I was thinking if you'd like to meet the rest of my family this weekend? They're extremely excited to meet you," Alice invited, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Umm. Sure. I'd love to!" I gratefully accepted the invitation.

Edward and Alice had two older brothers, Emmett and Jasper, and one old sister, Rosalie. They weren't really related. Alice had told me that Carlisle, her adoptive father, had adopted them when they were young. I had wanted to meet the rest of their family for a long time, and now the chance finally came.

I spent the morning preparing for the visit. Fishing through my entirely hopeless wardrobe, I ended up wearing my gray American Eagle tank top and jeans.

I was really nervous about meeting Edward and Alice's family. What if they didn't like me? Questions like that kept on flashing through my mind.

After one hour of fussing with my hair and clothes, I went downstairs to wait for Alice in the dorm lobby.

She came skipping down the stairs a couple of minutes later.

"Ready?" Her voice was giddy with anticipation.

"Yeah," I was trembling with nervous energy.

Alice noticed my uneasiness, she smiled and told me, "Relax. It's going to be fine."

When we walked outside the dorm, Edward was already waiting for us in his Volvo.

"Hop in," he flashed me an irresistible crooked grin.

I got into the passenger seat without another word, certain that I wouldn't be able to say anything if I tried to.

The whole ride to the Cullen's house was spent discussing our hobbies, favorite types of music, etc. Edward smiled smugly, like he already knew everything, when I mentioned the things I enjoyed doing. His secretive grins left me dazed and confused.

Finally, after a thirty minute drive, a beautiful and white mansion came into view. We were here.

I gasped in sight of the magnificent house. It was white and gray and had a front porch, front yard, and back yard.

On the front porch sat a blonde and a bulky teenager. Alice waved and called, "Rosalie, Emmett!"

The girl called Rosalie lifted her head up and waved back. She was beautiful; she had a face that any model would beg for.

I saw Emmett give Rosalie a kiss and headed towards us. As he got nearer, i saw his features clearly. He was muscular and strong. He also had prominent features, like his siblings.

Emmett smiled. "Hello, Alice, Edward," he said and turned to me, "Bella."

I raised my eyebrows, "Um- hi." How did he know my name?

Alice gave Emmett a kiss on the cheek, and smiled brightly, "Are Esme and Carlisle home?"

Emmett nodded, "They're in the house," he answered. "Bella, do you need help with your bags?" he asked eagerly.

I shook my head, "No, it's- "

"Yeah, take it for her, bring her bags to the guest room," Edward replied for me.

I shot him a look, "But-"

Edward smiled. "C'mon Bella, let's go meet the rest of my family," he invited, leading me towards the front entrance.

* * *

"Haha, seriously? You really tripped over a lampost?" Esme Cullen, Edward and Alice's adopt mother, asked me, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"Yeah. Knowing me, i'm bound to trip over anything I ever encounter," I told her, smiling timidly.

We were all gathered in the Cullen's spacious living room. Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap. They have been going out for a long time, Alice informed me. Emmett had his arm snake around Rosalie's slim waist.

"Well, tell us about your life," Carlisle, the adopt father of Edward and Alice, suggested. "How was your life before college?"

"Well, I couldn't really remember anything that happened during my junior and senior years, " I admitted. "It feels as if everything was blank during that period of time. It's really weird."

"Hmm…" Carlisle said curtly.

"So, Bella, how is your family?" Edward interrupted. I had a feeling that he wanted to change the subject.

"Oh, Charlie, my dad, is fine. He still works as the chief police officier back at Forks. Renee and Phil are residing in Florida. Things are going pretty good in my family." I was still a little nervous being around Edward's family. They all had a kind of intimidating aura revolving them.

"Hey," Esme said, "Edward, why don't you show Bella around the house?"

"Sure," Edward stood up from where he was seated. He motioned me to follow him out of the living room.

We made our way upstairs, stopping once in a while when Edward showed me his brothers' and sisters' rooms. Finally, we reached the end of the hallway, facing Edward's room.

"You want to come in?" Edward's voice was uncertain.

"I'd love to," I smiled meekly at him.

When he opened his bedroom's door, I let out a gasp. Glancing into the humongous room, I could see that he had a huge collection of CDs. Near the wall, he had a professional looking sound system. The boy could run a party in his room.

I walked around his room, my jaw dropping in awe. His room had a clear view of beautiful mountain range. I was amazed.

I took a seat on the couch located against the wall.

"Wow, " I told him. "Your room is…amazing!"

"Haha. Well, the view is wonderful." He sat down beside me.

Suddenly, an image of a girl and a bronze hair boy sitting on the exact some couch flashed in my mind. I couldn't really see their faces because the room was dimmed. The dark-haired girl was sitting on the boy's lap. They were laughing about something. Unnoticeably, the rhythm of my breathing had taken a quicker pace. I forced the image out of my head, and attempted to calm myself.

Beside me, Edward scrutinzed my expression warily. "What's wrong?" his voice came out no louder than a whisper.

"Nothing!" I plastered a smile on my face.

"Ugh. Why are _you_ the only exception?" I heard him grumble.

"Excuse me?" I looked at him in a funny way. "What exception?"

"Never mind," Edward smiled at me innocently – almost too angelic to me.

"Okay then," I stared at him dubiously.

"So," Edward switched the subject. "Esme wanted me to ask you if you'd like you sleepover tonight."

My pulse quickened with excitement. I get to spend the entire night with Edward and his family!

"Sure," I answered happily. "But I didn't bring any clothes."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm sure Alice will find you something," he assured me.

Which is how I found myself spending a pleasureful weekend with the Cullen family. Of course, I spent almost the whole time peeking at Edward, blushing when he would catch me staring at him through wistful eyes. I felt my heart accelerate each time our skin would accidentally brush each others. There was something weird about his skin, though. His hands were always freezing cold. However, considering the little amount of clothing he wore, it didn't really surprise me. So I didn't really give his icy-cold skin a second thought. Instead, I concentrated on finding sneaky ways to "accidentally" touch him.

_Oh G__od_, I said in my mind, _Don't let me be falling for Edward Cullen._

* * *

We got back to the dorm around 8 on Sunday night. I was still immersed in replaying all the fun events that we did during the weekend, that I didn't hear someone knocking on the door.

"Bella!" Allison's high-pitched voice, which was sort of ruffled by toothpaste, came from the bathroom. "Will you get the door please? I'm brushing my teeth!"

Instantly brought back to reality, and I scurried towards the door. "Coming!" I told the impatient visitor on the other side of the door.

I flung open the door, and was pulled into a big hug immediately.

"Bella!" the visitor exclaimed. "I've missed you so much!"

**Reviews, reviews, reviews! They keep me happy while i wait desperately for Eclipse! D**


	13. Jacob

**A/N: Reviews were still awesome, and Vicky still hasn't gotten Eclipse:(**

**Okay. So the mysterious visitor. The title pretty much says it all. :P**

**Haha. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Jacob

_I f__lung open the door, and was pulled into a big hug immediately._

"_Bella!" the visitor exclaimed. "I've missed you so much!"_

"Can't…breathe," I gasped in between breathes.

"Oh, sorry about that," Jacob Black pulled away, and grinned at me.

"It's all right," I said. "I've missed you, too! I haven't seen you since last summer!"

**(A/N Okay, starting from here, Bella has a flash back to the first day she woke up after the "incident". She doesn't remember ANYTHING. So Charlie brings her to "meet" Billy and Jake. That's how Bella is "introduced" to Jake again.) **Jacob had been the only person that I met and hung out with before I came to the University of Alaska Southeast two summers ago. I remembered that one morning when I woke up, I tried to recall events that happened the day before. I couldn't think of anything. The only thing that I vaguely remembered was Charlie picking me up from the airport when I had come to Forks. Looking at the calendar placed on my desk, I saw that it was already August 7th, 2007. I drew in a quick breath and rubbed my eyes. _Am I seeing things? _I thought silently to myself.

Racing down the stairs, I found Charlie sitting on the couch and sipping his coffee.

"Good morning, Bells," my father greeted.

"Hey dad, what's today's date?" I asked him.

He seemed a little uneasy, "It's August 7th, Bells."

"Hmm…How come I don't remember anything that happened yesterday? Or even last week? Or last month?" I queried, staring at Charlie's expression carefully.

"Wow, Bells, seems like preparing for the college applications had occupied your entire mind! You don't even remember anything!" Charlie laughed nervously. He changed the subject quickly, "So…who are you going to hang out with today?"

"Um…Do I know anybody here? I mean…the only thing I remember is moving here…yesterday?" I started to panic. What if I was going crazy?

"Okay, well, I'll bring you down to Billy's today. Might as well introduce to you my best fishing buddy and his son, Jake," Charlie suggested. "Why don't you go eat some cereal? Let's leave in about half an hour?"

"Sure," I hadn't really been paying attention to what he said. Heading towards the kitchen, I tried really hard to recall any events.

Nothing came.

When we arrived at the Blacks' house in La Push, Charlie strolled towards the front door quickly. I followed his path, walking slowly behind him.

Charlie rang the door bell impatient. Within seconds, a man, whom I assumed was Billy, sitting on a wheelchair greeted him from the door.

My father leaned down and whispered rapidly in Billy's ear. Billy's eyes widened with disbelief, and he asked Charlie something. Whatever the question was, Charlie seemed to have given him a satisfying answer because Billy suddenly raised his voice and said, "Hey Bella! Why don't you come inside?"

I smiled meekly and replied, "Hi, Billy. It's nice meeting you."

We made our way into the living room. Billy shut the door behind us called out, "Jake! Charlie and Bella are here!"

A gigantic and muscular boy appeared out of the hallway. When he saw me, his face brightened, and he raced towards me, pulling me into his arms, "Hi Bella! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?"

I struggled in his arms, and asked him, "Umm…Yeah…Do I know you?"

Jake stared at me skeptically. I looked right back at him and shrugged.

He turned his questioning gaze to Billy. His father motioned him to let go of me and go to his side. When Jake reached Billy's side, he leaned down to hear what Billy was trying to tell him.

Slowly, comprehension was drawn to his face. He clenched his fists tightly and bellowed, "What did those filthy _Bloo-_" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the stern look on Billy face. Jake took in a couple of deep breaths, and calmed down a little.

He seemed to have regained his composure, since he walked up to me and said apologetically, "Sorry about that. I'm Jake."

"It's fine. I'm Bella," my voice was a little unsteady.

We both stared at each awkwardly until Charlie said, "Well, let's leave the kids on their own. Want to go fishing, Billy?"

"Sure," Billy replied. They left the house, and soon I heard the roar of an engine.

"So," Jake broke the silence, "Want to check out the cars I've restored?"

"Umm…I'd love to!" I followed him into the garage.

For the remainder of the summer, I visited Jake every single day. We hung out in his garage, at the beach, and sometimes even in the woods. I genuinely enjoyed his company, and it seemed like Jake felt the same way about me.

The last three weeks of summer flew by, and I departed for college.

**(A/N: END OF FLASHBACK. THE SCENE CONTINUES FROM THE SENTENCE WHERE BELLA GREETED JAKE AT THE DOOR.)**

"Bella? Bella!" Jake's husky voice brought me back from the flashback.

"Oops. Sorry, I was just recalling the day when we met two summers ago. It's been a long time since I've seen you!" I told him, a slight blush creeping up my face.

Jacob laughed in my hair, "Yes it has," he let go of me, "So how have you  
been?" he asked me, setting himself on my chair and waiting patiently for my  
response.

I sat on my bed, "Good, I've made good friends recently," my mind flashed of  
a handsome face of Edward and I felt heat rising my cheeks.

"Bella?" Jacob asked, tilting his head to his side, "You okay?"

I laughed nervously, "Yeah," then I heard the bathroom door open.

"Oh my goodness," I heard Allison gasp in shock.

I smirked, "Allison this is Jacob Black," I introduced, "Jake, this is Allison, my roommate,"

Jacob instantly stood up and shook hands with Allison, "Nice to meet you."

Allison started to giggle her flirtatious tone, "No, the pleasure's all  
mine."

Jacob shot me a weird look and smiled at Allison sweetly.

"Well, since Bella and I haven't seen each other in a long time -" Jake's voice trailed off.

"Oh Bella! I just remembered, Connie wanted to go over the report she and I were doing for class. I better go to room right now! See you later!" she seemed to catch on pretty quickly.

She excused herself, and raced to the door, softly closing the door behind her.

"Huh," Jacob smirked. "I like your roommate."

"Yeah, I like her, too. She's very understanding, but sometimes she gets _really_ obstreperous." I said truthfully.

"Okay, well, enough about your roommate, so how have you been?" he changed the subject.

"Life has gotten from extremely dull and boring to unbelievingly exciting and exhilarating since two new students, Edward Cullen and Alice Cullen, moved here a couple weeks ago," I smiled as I remembered the thrilling weekend I had spent at their house.

"WHAT?" Jake burst out angrily.

I looked at him, confused. "What?" I asked him, "is there something wrong with Edward and Alice?"

"The heck there is!" Jake snarled while his nose wrinkled in disgust.

I don't know if it was the antipathy in his tone or the malicious threat implied in his words that got me into his face. I was outraged. How dare he talk about my friends that way! He's criticizing them as if he_ knew _them. As far as I know, the Cullens have never even set foot in Forks or La Push. How could Jacob have ever known Alice and Edward.

"Look," I roared, my face was directly in his. "I don't know where the hell you got the nerves to speak about my friends that way, but you have NO right to be offending people that you don't even KNOW!" I was panting, my breath short and shallow.

Jake's face softened a little. "I'm sorry, Bells, for insulting your friends," his eyes reflected the regret he was feeling, "but I _do_ know the Cullens, and trust me, you're better off without them." He seemed to be in pain to be speaking those words to me.

I looked at Jake through pleading eyes, and croaked, "Jake, but you don't really know Edward and Alice, do you? They're really nice people! I swear that you'll like them once you meet them!"

"Ha, nice _people_," he chuckled humorlessly, although he seemed to find the "people" part rather hilarious.

"What?" I glared at him. "They _are _friendly and amiable people. You'd know if you as much as _attempted _to get to know them."

"That's impossible," he snapped right back at me.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Ugh. It's just not gonna happen, Bells," he looked at me with hard eyes.

"Fine, then get out of my room," I ordered. "If you're just going to stay here and make insults of my friends, then I'd rather you just _leave_!" I practically shouted the last word.

"Fine, maybe I will!" Jake's face was contorted with rage. He stood up from the chair abruptly and stomped towards the door.

Just as he was about to tear open the door, I heard a soft voice that belonged to Alice Cullen call my name on the other side of the door.

Jake froze right on the spot, and turned around to see my reaction.

I was completely rooted on my bed, not knowing what to do.

"Bella?" Alice's impatient voice ringed. "Are you in there?"

"I-uh" I searched for words to say, but came up nothing intelligible.

"Well, I can _hear _you, you're just not opening the door," her tone got more and more anxious with each word. "What's wrong, Bella?"

I took a deep, calming breath, and said, "I'm fine, come on in, Alice."

"No!" Jake hissed.

But he was too late. The door had already slammed open, and beside the door stood a furious Alice.

"I knew it!" Alice glowered at Jake, "I knew it!"

**A/N: Muahaha. I'm expecting more reviews for this chapter! You guys weren't as generous with the last chapter as the other chapters. Please, REVIEW:D **


	14. The Truth

**A/N: Hey guys! I FINALLY got Eclipse yesterday, and i finished it within a couple of hours. Okay. I have two words for it : IT'S AWESOME:D (sorry to disappoint those of you who didn't enjoy it as much.)**

**I know that some people thought that Bella's indecision was getting on their nerves. Honestly, though, I found it as a really natural thing she would do. I mean, give the girl a break, she's in love with two people who are ENEMIES! So i didn't find any of the characters OOC. As usual, I loved Edward. SM revealed the other side of Edward's personality that was concealed in the pervious two books. It's a relief to finally see Edward not so overly protective anymore. Jake...I felt bad for him. (haha.) As much as i love Edward and Bella, I thought that if Edward had never come along in Bella's life, Jake would've been perfect for her. (: **

**Okay.** **Enough with my boring commentary. Hehe. Here's chapter 14, enjoy!**

Chapter 14: The Truth

"_I knew it!" Alice glowered at Jake, "I knew it!"_

Jake merely stared at Alice through malevolent eyes.

Afflicting muteness filled the still air. Neither Alice nor Jake moved.

After two minutes of silence, I decided that it was time to obliterate the dead air.

"So…Alice…What's up?" My tone was hesitant.

"Bella," Alice tore her gaze away from Jake, and asked me, her voice cold and demanding," How long have you known Jacob Black?"

I stared at Alice through confused eyes, "I met Jake two summers ago. What's wrong?"

She didn't answer me. Instead, Alice turned to glare at Jacob viciously and snarled at him, "What on earth possessed you to come back to her?"

I looked at Jacob, befuddlement filling my eyes.

Jacob scowled right back at her. "I was her best friend, remember? Until  
you bloodsuckers came along," he growled.

Bloodsuckers?

Alice smirked. She paused for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was bleak and deprived of any emotion, "Ah. Still having a slight problem with your temper, _dog_?"

I walked towards Alice, my footsteps reserved and uncertain. Attempting to calm the Jake down, I stood between the open space between him and Alice, "Alice what are you talking about? Why is he calling you a bloodsucker? And why are you calling Jake a dog?"

Abruptly, all trace of serenity escaped her voice. Her tone was furious and somewhat indignant. "Why are you backing him up?" Alice boomed, "Bella, he-"she pointed behind me, putting emphasis on every word, "is a werewolf!"

I started to laugh a deformed and disjointed pattern, "What are you talking about, Alice? Werewolves don't even exist!" I was clearly near the edge of hysteria.

Alice simply glared at me through hardened eyes.

I felt as something cold run down my spine. She wasn't kidding.

I gasped and turned to face Jacob. "Is that TRUE?" I asked him anxiously, "You're a-"

Jacob snorted and glared at Alice through pernicious eyes, "And she's a bloodsucker! She and her _lovely_ brother _Edward_ are VAMPIRES!"

I cringed at Jake's rising voice, and turned to Alice. "What is he talking about, Alice?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear an answer, "There are no such things as werewolves… Or vampires right?"

I could tell that my expression was desperate and agonized because Alice's eyes softened a bit. She sighed and said, "There's no point of pretending to be oblivious now.

"Bella, my family and I are vampires," she murmured, "And Jacob is a werewolf."

A hand flew to my mouth and I stared at her in shock.

"Yes," Jacob growled, "And you were dating that EDWARD CULLEN." He pulled me him; I was too stunned to resist his tenacious grip.

"I was dating Edward?" I was bewildered and confused at the same time, "Why don't I remember that? When did I date him? Does he remember me?"

Before Alice could say another word, the door flew open and Edward stormed  
into the room, yanking me away from Jacob. He snarled at Jake, his intonation filled with balefulness, "You! OUT!"

Jacob glared at him with an equal amount of anger. "Miss me?" he sneered, his voice full of sarcasm.

I pulled Edward back away from Jacob. "Is it true?" I asked him through wild eyes.

Edward looked down at me, confused.

"Is it true that we were together?" I clarified, my voice filled with pain.

Edward didn't answer me. Instead he turned to Alice and barked, "You TOLD her?"

Alice glowered at him, "She deserves the truth! We've kept the truth away from  
her for over 2 years!" she hollered.

I gasped, "Two YEARS?"

Edward glanced down at me, his face was composed. "Yes, two years," he said, his voice emotionless.

Alice groaned, "Can't I just tell her?" she begged, "She already knows parts of it. Let's just tell her what really happened!"

Edward glared at her and replied curtly, "No."

Jacob rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms, switching his weight on another  
foot.

"Alice, tell me!" I demanded. Through the corner of my eye, I vaguely saw Edward clench his jaw and clutch his fists.

Then the words started flowing so fast that I had to concentrate to pick up every word Alice was saying. Alice started to fill me in with all the events that happened after I moved to Forks two years ago. She told me how the alluring scent of my blood had captured Edward's notice, how much restraint he had put on himself from drinking my blood. She revealed how Edward's lust had slowly progressed into something more. He fell in love with me. I, according to Alice, had also fallen under the charm of Edward.

She paused here, her eyes flicking towards Edward. Edward shook his head, and her eyes hardened. I got the feeling that she was editing some part out. She informed how Edward and I were together, content and euphoric. Then her face turned somber as she mentioned about a trip to Hawaii that I went on with the Cullens at the end of my senior year. During the vacation, I had gotten a disease that could only be cured two ways. She seemed eager to skip the part of explaining the two options.

However, I was curious, so I pressed, "Alice, so what were the two ways to save my life?"

She flinched slightly, and sighed, "One way was to change you into a vampire, and the other was…" Her voice trailed off as she received a silencing glare from Edward.

They seemed reluctantly to tell me the whole truth. Suddenly, something clicked in my head. "The other option has to do with the reason why I can't remember my junior and senior year, right?" I stared intently into Edward's butterscotch eyes until he looked away.

Finally, Edward let out a deep breath, and sighed in defeat. "Yes… the other option was to give you a potion that will make you forget everything that ever happened after you met me," his musical voice was tormented.

I was speechless at my discovery. "Why…?" I whispered.

"Because I wasn't going to damn you to my kind of life," Edward's nostrils flared.

I turned to Alice, and asked her quietly, "Then…why didn't you change me, Alice?"

Alice sighed and told me, "The disease that you got could only be cured by your true love – Edward. Edward stubbornly refused to change you…so we were only left with the last option – to make you forget us." Her eyes were filled with ancient grief.

I was silent, unable to make myself speak.

Alice looked at me for a long time, and continued to describe what happened two years ago.

She told me the internal battle Edward fought within himself. Part of him longed for my company for eternity. Another part – a huge part – of him was torn over the kind of moonless life that I would be condemned to if he changed me. He feared for the human experiences that I would have to miss. He worried about the reaction of my parents. Finally, the will to keep me alive won over the wistfulness of having me by his side forever. He decided to give me the potion, Alice said.

"…And after you drank the potion, we hurried to bring you back to Charlie. We told him that you had lost part of your memory because you fell down the stairs and hit your head really hard. When you woke up from coma, you couldn't remember us. So we left – it was for your own good," Alice conveyed the agony she felt through her words."

And then she chuckled, "But who would have known that we'd meet you here! I was pleasantly surprised, and determined to make you remember us!"

We stared at each other for a long moment, neither of us speaking a word.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Alice sighed.

"No…I do believe you. It's just that…is that why you guys seemed so familiar to me when you transferred here?"

Without warning, the image of the bronze hair boy and the girl he was with flashed through my mind. I could see their faces clearly, now. The boy's features confirmed that he was Edward, and I immediately recognize the girl beside him as me. They looked so happy together, like they were lost in their own world, like nothing could take them away from each other. They looked like they were in love.

Something triggered in my chest, and my heart pounded painfully.

"Sorry to interrupt your little memory recap," Jake suddenly said, "but I haven't seen Bella in a long time, and it would be better if you two left us alone."

Alice snorted, but didn't bother to reply.

I was too overwhelmed by the complex feelings that I was feeling that I just wanted to be alone.

I told my three visitors apologetically, "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm a little overflowed with all the information that I learned tonight. I want to be alone."

Edward nodded and pulled Alice with him as he exited the door.

Jake looked at me for a long moment, and left the room abruptly.

I sighed and moved towards the mirror near my desk. Staring into the brown-eyed girl in the mirror, I wondered if I was still the same girl from two years ago.

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	15. Dream

**A/N: Hey guys! Your reviews were AWESOME! Keep 'em coming:D**

**We don't own any characters or dialogue from twilight. Cuz if we owned Alice, we'd probably be on vacation in Hawaii right now instead sitting here and writing this story. Haha. Everything belongs to SM. (Except for Allison and the plot. Haha.)**

Chapter 15: Dream

_I sighed and moved towards the mirror near my desk. Staring into the brown-eyed girl in the mirror, I wondered if I was still the same girl from two years ago._

"Bella, why don't we go outside for a cup of coffee?" Allison asked, her voice full of concern, "We can catch some wind if we're lucky"

I glanced up from my papers and shook my head. "Nah, it's okay. You can go grab one yourself. I have some homework to finish up" I said, pointing at my desk.

Allison rolled her eyes," Bella, I've known you for two years, I know you better than that. If you're going to stay in the dorm for the rest of your life, you're going to need to some up with a better reason than 'I've got homework to do'."

I rolled my eyes and laughed, "What are you talking about, Allison? I really do have homework to catch up on."

Allison raised her eyebrows and stared at me dubiously. She sighed when I didn't say another word, and left the room without another word.

Despite the constant effort I put into disguising the real reason to why I was reluctant to leave the dorm, Allison was aware that I was lying about my needing to catch up on homework.

The reason was plain; I was avoiding someone.

Edward Cullen.

---------------

I was doing homework two nights later when Allison slammed open the door and yanked me away from my table and leveled her eyes to my face, "Bella, I don't care what you say but I am going to have you leave this room tonight no matter WHAT!"

I gave her a blank stare and I stated, "I go out every day to class, Allison."

"It's not the same!" Allison was irritated.

I rolled my eyes and stood up, "I'm busy tonight."

"With what? Homework? The professors don't give that much homework each night, Bella" Allison snapped, "You're going out today Bella."

I rolled my eyes again, and sat stubbornly on my chair.

Alice narrowed her eyes, her tone dangerously menacing, "Look, I don't know what problem you have with Edward Cullen. I don't care if you're too intimidated by his gorgeous feature. I don't care if he threatened to kill you if you left this room. But he's just a GUY. He can't stop you from having a LIFE, which you don't seem to have lately! You're my friend, and I'm NOT going to sit here and watch you ROT!"

I sighed, and turned my back to her.

Allison pulled me out of my chair and pushed me towards my closet. "Pick out an outfit Bella, there's a girls party today at Hailey' s room, and I'll make sure you come, even if that's the last thing I do!" she ordered, "If I told Charlie about this – "

I stared at her skeptically, "You wouldn't."

"Oh yes, I would," Allison threatened, " Now that we know what _you're_ capable of doing – sitting here and wasting your life, you want to know what _I'm _capable of? And if you don't get your booty off that chair right now, I swear you'll be very sorry that your great aunt Pearl never -"

I laughed and interrupted the rambling Allison, "All right, all right! I'll get dressed!"

She smiled at me triumphantly, "Get dressed Bella, the party's in ten minutes."

I grinned at her in return. Sometimes it was great to have a pushy friend like Allison. I dressed up, and within minutes we arrived at the party.

-------------

Lying on my bed, I glanced at my digital clock on my bedpost. It read 3:27  
AM. I sighed and closed my eyes once more, trying to get some sleep. The night was so quiet I could hear the faint breathing of Allison, who was sleeping across the room from me. I pulled the quilt over my head, my mind swarming with thoughts of Edward Cullen.

Avoiding him for over two weeks was a tough job; not seeing Edward made me miss him horribly. Edward's beautiful features flashed through my mind. His intoxicating voice, memorizing face, bottomless eyes always took my breath away. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to fall asleep.

My mind kept on reflecting Edward's face. My heart wouldn't stop fluttering. I grabbed onto the quilt tightly, trying to force the thoughts out of my head.

Finally, I drifted off to sleep.

-------------

I knew that I was dreaming; I couldn't feel my body, it felt like as if I was as light as a spring's breeze. I turned around and examined the room I was in.

The room was dark, but I could vaguely tell that it was the ballet studio back near my house in Phoenix.

There was a man, standing in the middle of the room, trying to put a video tap into the player. I was curious, so I floated forward to get a better look. I recognized it as one of the tapes my mom had filmed when I was little. Wondering what the strange man was doing, I ask him, "Hey. What are you doing here with the video tapes?"

He didn't answer, and I tried the question again, "Um… Yeah. What are you doing?"

He still didn't reply, and I figured that he probably couldn't hear me. After all, it was just a dream.

The man was rewinding the video now. He stopped at the part where my mom was screaming hysterically, "Bella? Bella?"

She was looking for me in the film, when she finally spotted me, she sighed in relief, "Bella, you scared me! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

I was confused. Beside me, I heard the man smirk and said, "That's perfect."

He rewound the tape back to where my mom was yelling my name, and paused the video.

Sitting down, the stranger looked around the room, and laughed coldly, "Hah. In about ten minutes, it'll be over. Goodbye, you foolish human. Hope you had time to say farewell to your asinine _Edward_."

I cringed at the menace he put into his voice. What human? How did Edward fit into this scene?

The man stood up abruptly, walked towards the TV, and played the clip.

My mother's panicked voice filled the tense air, and I could hear soft footsteps approaching the room I was in.

When a brown-hair girl entered the room, I gasped. She resembled me thoroughly. She had big, innocent brown eyes, and her hair was a rich chocolate brown. The only difference between us was that she appeared much younger than I was.

She searched around the room frantically, as if trying to locate something. I exhaled sharply. I finally realized what the sadistic man wanted to do. He had led my younger self here to kill her. Trying to tell her to leave, I yelled at the young Bella desperately, "Bella! You have to leave! He's going to kill you! Come on! Move! Mom's not here! He's just trying to trick you! LEAVE! COME ON!" My tone was panicked and anxious, but the girl didn't appear to hear me.

I shouted in exasperation, "BELLA! LEAVE! UGH! WHY CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?"

Young Bella looked around the room, her eyes widening when she saw that the sound of our mother was coming from the TV. She turned around slowly, and stared at the strange man blankly.

The man smiled and stood up, walking slowly towards young Bella. Bella stared at him carefully, her eyes intent.

Speaking in an amiable fashion, the stranger told Bella, "Sorry about that, Bella, but isn't it better that your mother didn't really have to be involved in all this?"

I watched as comprehension washed down Bella face. Her confusion was replaced by relief. I stared at her unbelievingly. How could be relieved when she was in mortal danger?

"Yes," she replied curtly.

The man seemed amused by her answer because his next question was, "You don't sound angry that I tricked you."

"I'm not," Bella's voice was filled with courage.

Staring at her through his dark eyes, the man mused," How odd. You really mean it." He studied her expression and added, his voice curious, "I will give your strange coven this much, you humans can be quite interesting. I guess I can see the draw of observing. It's amazing – some of you seem to have no sense of your own self-interest at all."

Bella merely stood rigidly and surveyed the man.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that your boyfriend will avenge you?" hope was implied in the man's question.

"No, I don't think so. At least, I asked him not to," brave Bella replied.

My thoughts drifted off. I started to wonder if this was purely a dream, or if it actually took place. I knew that the boyfriend the man referred to was Edward. If this really happened, then it must have taken place during the two years that I couldn't remember. Alice had informed me that I was with Edward during that time. I was bewildered. I desperately wanted to know the truth to everything behind this.

A piercing scream brought me back to the scene. Young Bella was thrown into the mirrors by the man. Blood was streaming down her face, but Bella tried to crawl toward the door.

The serenity that had been on the man's face was completely gone. He stared at Bella through wild eyes, like he was trying to resist something. Bella was nearly unconscious at this point, and the man suddenly let out a low growl, and got ready to jump on Bella.

"NO!" I screamed. "STOP IT! NO!"

Abruptly, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, and Alice came bursting through the door.

When Edward saw Bella lying on the floor, he fell down on his knees, and cried in horror, "BELLA!!!! WAKE UP!! DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!"

Carlisle was by his side, trying to calm Edward down, "Edward, let me look at her, come on."

Edward's head snapped up and he looked around the room through malevolent eyes. "WHERE IS JAMES? I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" he bellowed, unable to control his anger.

"Jasper and Emmett are taking care of that," Carlisle murmured, "Edward, please calm down!"

Edward fell down next to Bella again. Sobbing tearlessly and disjointedly, he begged, agony and desperation filled his musical voice," Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no! "

I couldn't take this anymore. I panted and screamed, "NO! NO! NO!"

"BELLA! WAKE UP!" Allison's anxious voice brought me back to reality.

"A-lli-son," I looked at her through wild eyes, "Alli-son."

"Take a deep breath, Bella," Allison chanted over and over again, trying to calm me down.

After five minutes, my pulse finally slowed down a little bit.

"Bella, what happened?" Allison's tone was filled with concern.

I took a deep breath and told her, "I can't take this anymore. I'm going for a walk. I'll be back." I stood up abruptly, and tried to leave the room.

"NO!" Allison grabbed my arm, "I'm not going to let you leave - especially when you're acting like this!"

I shook free from here grasp and turned around, "I need to calm down a little. Don't worry about me." I forced a smile on my face.

Without waiting for her reply, I strolled out of the room.

-------------

I wandered aimlessly around the woods. It was dark so I couldn't make out which way I was going.

I don't know how long I walked around the woods, not knowing where I was going. The sky was starting to get lighter.

Walking with my face down, I suddenly bumped into a something extremely hard.

I looked up and saw a woman with brilliant orange hair.

She smiled viciously and said, "Finally."

Staring at her, I asked her, "Who are you, and what do you want from me?"

The woman laughed at me humorlessly, her laughter was wild, "I'm Victoria, and I want your LIFE!" She spat the last word at me.

I cringed, "What did I ever do to you?"

"Are you trying to be funny?" she snarled at me. "Your boyfriend killed James and now I want YOUR life!"

"James!" I gasped.

Victoria laughed coldly, "I'm not going to wait any longer. I've been pending for this day for two years. Ah. Revenge _is_ sweet."

She grabbed me, and shoved me into a near by tree. I searched around frantically, hoping that someone would pass by.

"Edward's not going to be able to save you this time, _human_," her mouth was near my throat now, "I'd really like to see his expression when he sees you _dead_."

I knew that there was no hope now so I closed my eyes, hoping that my death will be the end of everything.

**GASPS What's gonna happen to Bella?? Well, you'll get the answer sooner if you press the beautiful review button! (:**

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**-Vickieeeeeeeeeee. **


	16. Recapturing the Past

**A/N: Your reviews have been absolutely wonderful! We've almost reached the 200 mark! You guys rock! (But I guess you already know that. :D)**

**We don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Alice. :(**

Chapter 16: Recapturing the Past

Right when Victoria's lips touched the hem of my throat, her body was suddenly jerked backwards, and thrown onto the ground.

"Get your filthy hands off of her" A voice growled.

Victoria's shrill laughter rang in my ears. "She deserves to die!" she spat. "You killed my mate and now it's time for me to kill yours."

"She's not part of this," the voice hissed.

"Mate for a mate," Victoria snarled, "Isn't that fair enough?"

Suddenly, I realized the voice belonged to Edward Cullen. Hope began running through my limp body, and I murmured, "Edward?"

Soothingly, Edward pulled me to him, "Bella? You're going to be fine."

"Not if I get my teeth in her neck first!" Victoria interrupted, sneering in our direction.

Edward gave her a dirty look, "If you lay your hand on her, I will make it's the last thing you do."

Victoria smirked, "Why don't you prove it?"

Without hesitation, Victoria shoved Edward out of the way and grabbed my waist, putting me in front of her.

"Don't you even THINK about moving one centimeter," Victoria threatened menacingly, "Or else I'll just snap her into two."

"Ed-ward," I surveyed his agonized face, "Just leave! Let this be the end of everything!"

"NO!" Edward fumed, "I'm NOT going to lose you again!"

"Huh. We'll see about that," Victoria's wild laughter sent shivers down my spine.

"Geez. Did you know that your hair style is so last _century_?" an annoyed voice came behind me. I turned around and saw an obviously disgusted Alice tapping Victoria's shoulder impatiently.

Victoria turned to face Alice and stared at her blankly.

"Yeah. You might wanna check the mirror _before_ you leave your house. I mean, haven't you heard? First impressions are _very_ important. People tend you judge you by first impressions. Not that I approve. But may I remind you that with that _hideous_ appearance you have, you aren't going to be too popular among people," Alice continued, seeming unaware of tension in the air.

Victoria blinked and replied, "But why would they care about what I look like? They're probably dead before they even notice what I look like." Unconsciously, she had released her iron grip on me. I stumbled backwards, and scurried to Edward's side, trying to make my footsteps as soft as possible.

"Uh, _hello_? Of course they care about what you look like. Before you kill them, they'd probably be thinking, 'What did I _ever_ do to deserve being killed by this _hideously _dressed monster. ' Because, you know, you've got to admit, you don't really look appealing in the condition you're in right now," Alice was rambling like there was no tomorrow.

Victoria growled when she heard the word 'monster'. She snarled at Alice, "Look, _weirdo_, I don't have time for all your nonsense. You either get out of my way or I'll just have to kill you, too."

Alice merely scowled at Victoria, and pouted, "Gosh. That was _really_ impolite. I was just trying to give you some tips. " She raised her eyebrows at Edward, who nodded his head slightly.

The next thing I knew, Edward was on Victoria, ripping her body into pieces. I stared in horror, stunned by the scene that I was seeing. Alice was by my side in an instant, turning me away from the fight.

I stared at her bewilderedly, and choked, "Alice?"

"Yes?" she replied, concerned.

"Am I really seeing what I _think_ I'm seeing?"

Alice chuckled, and told me, "Yes."

That's when I collapsed right into her arms.

----------

"Bella! Bella, wake up!" I heard someone call, "Bella you have to open your eyes and tell me you're alright!"

I ordered myself to open my eyes, but my muscles refused. I tried to speak but only a tiny moan escaped form my throat that sounded like, "Al-ice?"

"That's right Bella," Alice seemed relieved, "I'm Alice. Open your eyes."

I couldn't.

"Bella?" Alice repeated, "Open your eyes!"

Finally I cracked open my eye and moaned, "Ali-ce?"

"Oh Bella! Are you alright? I mean, you basically fainted in my arms!" Alice let out a deep breath.

"How is she?" someone else asked.

Alice's hand touched my forehead. "She's fine."

A velvety voice was close to my ear. "Bella," Edward's voice sounded like music. "Can you hear me?"

I could barely nod so I said, "Yes."

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked again.

"No."

I heard him sigh and felt his sweet breath on my skin.

"Let's get her back to the dorm," Edward told Alice.

"You're going to have to carry her," Alice said.

I felt myself being lifted off the ground into someone's snow-cold and hard arms. Instantly, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he walked. The steady rhythm of his footsteps was the last thing I heard before I was unconscious again.

--------

I peeked under my eyelids and discovered that I was in my dormitory. I had on fresh new clothing and was snuggled deep under my bed.

I moaned and tried to move.

"Good morning to you, too, sleepyhead!" a cheerful voice chirped next to me.

"Alison," I muttered, "What time is it?"

"3:30 in the afternoon," she answered. "So technically I should be saying good afternoon."

"What happened?" I asked her, fully opening my eyes.

Allison sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I was worried when you dashed out of the room last night so I couldn't even sleep; instead I just sat on my bed, praying that you'd come back," she began, "Then a couple hours later, Edward and Alice Cullen came into the room- well more like banged open the door- and Edward put you in bed. They told me that you slipped in the woods and hit your head against a sharp rock. They said they found you when they went for a morning stroll, whatever that means." Allison continued to yapp on, "I mean, who knew that EDWARD Cullen would come to our dorm room at like, 5 in the morning! It's just so-o-o awesome! And he had you snuggled in his chest- goodness that was just so-o-o romantic!"

I groaned silently, listening to my roommate talk about how wonderful Edward Cullen was. Letting my thoughts drift off to the events that had happened in the morning, I suddenly felt the urge to ask Edward and Alice what exactly the whole scheme with Victoria was about. Jumping out of bed, I told startled Allison, "I'm going to Alice's room. I'll be back later."

"Um.. Okay," she stammered when I interrupted her.

I scurried out of my room, and headed towards Alice's.

I could hear soft murmurs coming from Alice's room. When I stood in front of the room, the talking stopped all together. Deliberating if I should knock, I heard a voice say, "Come on in, Bella."

Edward and Alice were inside the room. They stared at me as I made my way over to them.

They were still studying me intently when I sat down. I cleared my throat, "So…I just wanted to thank you guys for saving me."

Edward smiled, and I thought I heard him say, "That wouldn't be the first time."

I threw a questioning gaze at him. He just smiled back.

"But…I wanted to know, how did you guys know that I was in the woods? And know where to find me?" I queried.

Edward sighed and said, "Alice saw you in danger in one of her visions."

I tilted my head, and gave him a confused look.

He smiled and elaborated, "Well…You know that we're vampires, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Well, usually we each get a unique power. Alice's is that she is able to look into the future. Last night, Alice saw you being attacked by Victoria in the woods, so we rushed into the woods to look for you. Thank God that we were in time!"

I hesitated and asked timidly, "Edward…So what is your special power?"

Grinning at me, Edward said, "I can read minds."

I stared at him in awe, "Wow."

He chuckled, "Except for yours."

Noticing my befuddled expression, Edward explained, "When I met you four years ago – when you first transferred to Forks High School – I discovered that I wasn't able to read your mind. Later on, we found out that you are immune to any talent that has to do with manipulating or reading the mind."

We sat in silence.

I asked Edward a question that had been bothering me for a while, "Edward…Last time…when Alice told me about what happened between us…"

"Yes?" he said gently.

"I noticed that she was editing some parts out, and I would like to know if you can tell me exactly what happened," I finished in a rush.

Edward let out a deep breath and began telling me the whole story.

He told me that one day, while I was watching him and his family play baseball, a coven of vampires came along. The coven included Laurent, who was killed by werewolves, James, who was killed by Emmett and Jasper, and Victoria, who wanted to seek revenge for James by killing me. When James had smelled my scent, he was determined to kill me. Edward and his family had refused to let James take me. However, this only intrigued James further – he decided to track me. Trying to prevent James from finding and hurting me, Edward and his family decided to hide me in Phoenix. When Alice, Jasper and I were in Phoenix, I had received a phone call from James. He claimed that he had my mom, and threatened to kill her if I didn't show up at the ballet studio near my house.

I remembered the dream that I had the night before, and winced. It was probably the part where I had met James in the studio and found out that he tricked me.

In the end, Edward said, Emmett and Jasper killed James. However, James's mate, Victoria, was still on the loose, and she'd wanted to kill me since she found out James was dead.

I shuddered, and whispered, "Is that why…today?"

Edward's body tensed and his eyes hardened as he thought about the vampire who had threatened to take my life.

I looked around and found that Alice was no longer in the room. Looking at Edward, I asked, "Where's Alice?"

He chuckled, and responded, "She left to give us some privacy."

I moved over to sit next to him, and put my hand on his. Looking up shyly, I gave him a timid smile. The smile he returned was brilliant. His body relaxed and he pulled me into his arms. I leaned into his chest as he continued on.

Abruptly, his mood shifted from content to regret. I was still having a hard time getting used to his mercurial moods. Edward told me at the beginning of my senior year, when I was almost attacked by Jasper at my birthday party, he had made the most ludicrous decision – to leave me. I drew in a quick intake of breath and stared at his plaintive expression. The reason that he left me was because he had thought I'd be better off without him. After he left Forks, he said, I started to hang out with Jacob Black, who turned out to be a werewolf. Then one day, I was bored and flung myself off a cliff. Alice saw me jump off the cliff and thought that I was dead so she went on a plane a departed for Forks. Rosalie decided to tell Edward the news of my death. Edward, shocked and heart-broken, made the decision to ask the Volturi, who were the royal family of vampires, to kill him. If Alice and I hadn't made it to Italy in time, Edward would have probably done something reckless to make the Volturi kill him.

Then he told me about the trip to Hawaii. I asked him why he hadn't just changed me.

"Because I don't want you to be damned for eternity," his eyes were fierce, filled with passion.

"But you know that I want to be with you forever," I whispered, softly rejecting his statement.

He tilted my chin up, and gazed into my eyes. Slowly, he lowered his face to brush his cold lips against mine. Without thinking, I put my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. The kiss was like nothing I've felt before. It was sweet, pure, and full of promises. I crushed my body into Edwards. His soft lips trailed down my neck to my collarbone. I shivered; the way Edward kissed me sent shock waves down my spine. The sensation was so sweet that I wished time could stop and made the moment last longer.

Edward pulled away, and cupped my head in his hands.

"Will you give me a second chance?" he asked softly.

I nodded numbly. I wanted nothing but to be with him for eternity.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me again.

The world ceased to exist. There was only Edward and me.

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	17. Sweet Moments

**A/N: Sorry it took a little longer for us to update. We were busy and didn't have time to talk about it online. Haha. Anyway. LOVED THE REVIEWS:D**

**We don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or the characters. **

Chapter 17: Sweet Moments

_The world ceased to exist; there was only Edward and me at that moment._

"You know, the only thing that I regret for letting you remember the past is that now I have to put up with all your mushy stuff," Alice complained.

Edward and I quickly sprang apart. We were too caught up with the heat of the moment to notice Alice's approach.

Flushing bright red, I retorted, "Then you should leave us alone."

Edward chuckled lightly, and put his muscular arms around my shoulders.

"Oh, I would," Alice assured me, "But I have really important news to tell you guys."

"Fire ahead," I murmured, leaning my head on Edward's out stretched shoulders.

"I'd be more comfortable if you two were more conventionally seated," Alice muttered to herself.

I sighed, "So what did you want to tell us?"

"Winter vacation is coming up in less than two weeks, so Carlisle has decided that all of us would go visit Forks during break!" Alice squealed, her eyes glinting with anticipation.

I shot up from the seat immediately, and turned to Edward. "You are behind this, aren't you?" I accused.

Smiling at me angelically, Edward said innocently, "It's been a long time since my family and I have been to Forks."

I rolled my eyes and lightly jostled his shoulders, "Yeah. Well, I also _happen_ to be going back to Forks for vacation. Guess we'll be seeing each other a lot during break, won't we?"

Secretly, though, I've already begun fantasizing the endless possibilities of the upcoming break. Of course, all of my dreams starred Edward. He had the most crucial role in my perfect vacation.

Edward lowered his head to my ear, and whispered seductively, "Definitely."

Alice rolled her eyes, and made a gagging sound.

Pulling me up from the seat, Alice dragged me towards the girl's dormitory.

Edward and I protested simultaneously, "Hey!"

Alice rolled her eyes, "Oh, _brother_, you'll both survive." Then she added, giving Edward a stern look, "Plus, this is entirely done for your sake."

She smirked at Edward, giving him a knowing look.

Edward seemed to realize what Alice was planning on doing, since he grinned widely, and told Alice sweetly, "In that case, please take your time."

"Now, Bella," Alice started to say as we made our way back to my room, "What kind of dress did you say you liked?"

--------

"Ah! Home, sweet home!" I exclaimed, exhaling the fresh air.

We were standing in front of Charlie's house in Forks. After a long ride on the plane, we finally arrived in Forks!

Skipping happily towards the front porch, I pulled Edward along.

"Charlie will be thrilled to see you!" I squeaked.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Edward chuckled darkly.

Raising my eyebrows, I frowned, "Why not?"

Edward pointed to his head, and mocked hurt, "You hurt my feelings, Bella."

I slapped him playfully. "Let's go inside!"

Flinging the door open, I was immediately greeted by Charlie's voice, "Bella? Is that you?"

"Yes, Dad, it's me. And guess who I brought with me?"

"Who?" Charlie asked, walking out of the kitchen.

I smiled excitedly, "Edward and Alice!"

Charlie stopped at his tracks and narrowed his eyes at Edward for a moment. He quickly pulled the grimace off this face and put on a bright smile. "Wow, this is a surprise!" he laughed an unnatural laugh, "Alice, it's great seeing you!"

Alice grinned radiantly, "It's great coming back to Forks again."

Charlie laughed and gave me a tight hug. "Welcome home, Bells."

The phone rang, and Charlie excused himself to go answer it.

"So what should we do later?" Alice asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Bella, lets go on a HUGE shopping spree!"

Edward and I stared at her in disbelief.

"But we just got back, Alice!" I frowned.

Alice pouted and turned her hopeful gaze to Edward.

"I'll pass," Edward said, waving his hand.

"Bella," Charlie's call brought my head up, "It's Jacob."

I felt Edward tense and saw Alice's eyes tighten from the corner of my eyes. I nodded and let go of Edward's hand and walked towards the kitchen.

"H-Hello?" my voice trembled.

"Bells," Was Jacob's greeting, "I'm glad the bloodsuckers haven't killed you."

"Why do you keep calling them that?" I hissed, my voice stronger. "Why do you guys hate each other so much?"

I could imagine the dark smirk that would be placed on his beautiful face.

"Because we're born to be enemies," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "I take you remember all of your past?"

"Yes," I replied warily.

"Good, I'll catch you another time then, Bells," he said after a pause, "It's great having you back in Forks."

Obviously Jake had no idea I brought Edward and Alice with me. I secretly laughed at him.

"Okay."

"Bye Bells." He hung up the phone and there was a buzzing sound on my line.

"Bye," I muttered to no one.

I set the phone down and glared at it for a moment then decided to check my room. I walked up the stairs and opened my door. Everything was the same where I last left it and I smiled. The familiar veiw brought back sweet memories, and I heaved a sigh.

I felt a pair of ice-cold arms wrap around my waist. Edward's sweet breath caressed my neck as he exhaled. I leaned against his broad shoulders. We stood there for a couple of minutes, silenting enjoying the sweetness of the moment.

It was interrupted by Alice's groan. "Okay, I'm sorry, AGAIN, that I have to interrupt your little reunion, but it's time to go."

I turned, confused, "To where?"

"To Carlisle's place,"

--------

Edward and Alice's family were waiting in the capacious living room when we entered the house. The first thing I noticed was the steel hard look Rosalie tossed me. I took a step backwards, leaning in Edward's arms.

"Oh, Alice," Esme said, giving her a hug. "Welcome home. And you, too, Edward."

"And Bella," she said softly. Her eyes were so welcoming it felt as if I actually lived here. "It's great seeing you healthy again."

I laughed nervously, "Thank you."

Everyone's greetings were as welcoming as Esme's -except for Rosalie's, but Edward already told me the story to that.

After finishing the delicious lunch that Esme made for me, Edward showed me around the house.

"No coffins?" I asked him jokingly.

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Bella."

As we entered his room, there was a moment of déjà vu rushing through my mind. I laughed at myself when I saw his closet. It was bigger than my own room! Everything was neatly folded and placed on the shelves. Thinking about the amount of clothes Edward has, my mind wondered off to how ALICE'S closet would look like. I suddenly felt like laughing.

Edward threw me a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I chuckled to myself.

Casting a confused look, Edward tolled me to the couch sitting near the corner of his room. He placed me on his lap, and I eagerly threw my arms around his shoulders. Resting my cheek on his head, I sighed in content.

"So," Edward said casually, "What do you want to do during vacation?"

I bit my cheek, and deliberated for a moment. "Hmm… I want you to take me to the places we've been to before."

"I like that idea," Edward smiled, his topaz eyes gleaming.

We stared into each other's eyes for a long time. I felt myself swimming in his bottomless eyes. His gaze was soft, the golden light in his irises shimmered with passion and love. My heart swelled. I couldn't believe that I – an ordinary girl – possessed such great luck to hold Edward – the reincarnation of pure beauty and love – in my arms.

"You're wrong, you know," Edward whispered, his musical voice filling my ears.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "About what?"

"You're just the opposite of plain. You are the most extraordinary and unique star in my universe," his passionate eyes bore into mine. "Never doubt that."

"I thought you couldn't read my mind?" I stroked his flawless cheek.

"I've had a lot of practice reading your face," he laughed quietly.

I smiled at him, and dropped my head to rest it on his stone-hard chest. Pulling his hands to mine, I caressed his palm with the tip of my fingers.

"Ah. It's been so long," Edward murmured, and sighed in content.

Suddenly, a question that had been bothering me for a long time popped up in my mind.

"Edward?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?" Hesitating, I looked up at him.

"Anything, love," his eyes were staring intently into mine.

"You know that I want to be with you forever…" my voice trailed off as I got closer to my real question.

"Yes?" Edward's voice had a slightly nervous edge to it.

"Are you going to turn me into one of you?" I finished, lowering my head.

I felt Edward's fingers gently tilt my head back up. "Bella," he said softly, "You know I don't want to damn you into a soulless life."

"But, Edward," I argued, "If you didn't have a soul, you would never had fallen for me."

He sighed. "Bella, there is nothing more to this kind of life than endless and empty days ahead. It is not as glamorous as you think it to be."

"Edward," I stated clearly, "I want to be with you forever, both figuratively and literally. Without you, there is no Isabella Swan. I simply cannot exist with you!" My voice was starting to rise as I felt emotions flicker in my mind.

"Shh, Bella," Edward comforted me softly, "I'm never going to leave you. I'll stay with you till the end of time."

"Then change me!" I stared into his eyes with determination.

"Let's discuss this some other time," Edward soothed. "It's getting late – you should go to sleep now."

I let out a breath dramatically, and told him, "You're not off the hook yet."

"I know," his gentle laughter vibrated through his body. "But before we talk about it further, why don't you get some sleep?"

"Fine," I muttered, my eyes drooping.

Edward hummed a beautiful lullaby softly, and I found myself slowly drifting into unconscious.

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	18. Vows For Eternity

**A/N: Hey guys! Reviews were awesome, but I noticed that there was a decline in the number we got! Remember, reviews make us write! LOL. So if you want an update sooner, then REVIEW! **

**Stephenie Meyer owns it all. **

Chapter 18: Vows For Eternity

The next day, Edward suggested taking me around the town to rebuild my memory. As we strolled down the street, hand in hand, I noticed a lot of looks from the people around us.

Most of them sent us curious looks, but some girls glared at me, jealousy burning in their eyes.

Edward seemed to notice,too. He pulled me closer to his side and murmured in my ear, "Ignore them."

I chuckled to myself. "Alright," I said, letting go of his hand and wrapping my arm around his waist.

Edward looped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair. "Lunch," he suggested softly.

He took me to a restaurant in Post Angeles. According to Edward, it was the first place that we really talked.

Our waiter was a woman, maybe around her mid twenties, with the name of Amber. Edward seemed to be trying to keep a straight face as asked for a private table.

The waitress tossed Edward a weird look, and led us to a table. After we were seated, I picked up my menu and glanced at the first thing on the list, "I'll have the Mushroom Ravioli,"

The waitress nodded, "And you, sir?"

Edward shook his head, "

"Just two cups of coke, please."

The waitress nodded and walked away with a disappointed expression.

Edward chuckled slighty at the waitress's reaction. "Last time we came here, she was our waiter too," he told me. "You even accused me of dazzling people."

"Well, you certainly do," I laughed quietly and leaned back in my seat, staring at Edward. He stared right back at me. We were lost in our own world. His golden eyes were soft as they scrutinized mine intently. I could feel heat rushing up my cheeks. Edward smiled and reached under the table to hold my hand.

Just then, the waitress came with our sodas and my Mushroom Ravioli. She placed it in front of me then turned to Edward, speaking to him lowly.

I frowned and suddenly realized that this scene was very familiar. Something clicked in my mind, and I inhaled sharply. We had come to this exact same place and same table a couple years ago. More scenes began to flash through my mind. This waitress was hitting on Edward on that, but Edward didn't pay any attention to her. Then- my lips twitched- on that same day, I had learned that Edward was a vampire.

"Bella?"

The conversations, kisses, and hugs Edward and I had flashed through my mind. Everything that I thought I had lost forever came flowing back to me. I saw images of myself spending time with Edward and Jake. I recalled the first time the Cullens and I had encountered Victoria, James, and Laurant. I remembered the most painful year of my life – my senior year, when Edward had left me. Then I saw myself running to Edward in Italy. Everything was so fresh, and clear, like the memories were never lost.

Edward's panicked voice rang in my ears. "Bella, can you hear me?"

I looked up at him and began to laugh,

"I remember, Edward!" I cried.

Edward gave me a confused look, "What?"

I threw myself at him after I scrambled off my seat, and wrapped my arms around his neck, "I remember everything now, Edward! I remember everything about us, Jacob, James, everything!"

Edward pulled me away from his arms and looked deeply into my eyes, his eyes shining with excitement, "You're saying you remember _everything_?"

I nodded and he brought my lips to his cold ones. He tipped my face into an accommodating angel while deepened the kiss. I knew I was crossing our physical-relationship boundaries, but Edward didn't seem to notice. He cupped his hand over my neck and brought crushed himself into me eagerly. He brushed his snow-cold lips over mine softly, nibbling and coaxing with flicks of his tongue.

"OH MY GOD," a stunned voice pronounced, and I heard rapid footsteps scurrying away.

Then, loud enough that I could hear, the same voice shrieked, "Oh my god, Jenny! You will NOT believe what I just saw."

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

"Okay, so like, when I was going in to give them the check, I saw that they were totally getting all worked up in the room. And like, I totally freaked, 'cause like, I've never seen people do that in a restaurant before. I almost dropped the check! The guy is sooooo hot!" the voice, which I assumed belonged to Amber, squealed.

Edward, hearing the exchange between the girls, chuckled lightly.

"Were we getting carried away?" he murmured in my ears.

"I don't mind," I whispered, leaning in for another kiss.

Edward pulled away with a quiet laugh, and said, "Later, love. Let's not give the poor girl another heart attack, okay?"

I pouted and untangled myself from his embrace, "Fine."

I saw the waitress peek into the room hesitantly. She sighed and relief when she saw that I was already back in my own seat. Clearing her throat, she walked in the room, and gave Edward the check. "Your check, sir," her voice trembled a little.

Edward pulled a bill out and put it in her hands, "Keep the change."

Then, turning to me, Edward said, "Let's go, Bella."

We left the room, leaving the dazed waitress behind.

--------

"We're hiking?" I asked Edward incredulously.

We were standing at the end of a trial that Edward had taken me to after lunch.

"No, silly. You're going to sit on my back while _I_ run," Edward laughed like I had asked the most absurd question.

"Fine, but where are we going?" I asked.

"No questions, please," Edward smiled at me. "You'll find out soon."

Rolling my eyes, I settled myself onto Edward's back.

And then we were flying through the woods. Okay, maybe not _literally_, but the speed was so fast that everything seemed to pass by as a blur. I enjoyed the wind on my face – it was exhilarating.

Abruptly, Edward stopped, and told me, "We're here."

I gasped as I took in every detail of the beautiful meadow we were standing in. The soft shine of the sun lit up the meadow. Flowers and grass swayed with the soft rhythm of the breeze. Nothing had changed. Remembering the last time that I had been here, I shivered. I was nearly killed by Laurent, and at that time, the meadow didn't seem as open and welcoming as it does now.

I pulled Edward along with me, and lay down on the soft flower bank. Sighing in content, I settled deeper into Edward's arms.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward murmured into my ears after a while.

"Just thinking about the first time you brought me here," I replied, tilting my head up to see this expression.

His eyes were soft as they gaze deeply into mine. I felt so helpless under his gaze; I couldn't breathe, move, or talk. My heart accelerated and my face turned a deep red.

"I love the color of your cheeks when you blush scarlet," he muttered, absentmindedly stroking my cheek.

"What is Alice doing today?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Hmm…" Edward seemed distant. "I think she said she was planning something."

"I love our meadow," I looked around the beautiful surrounding. "It never changes. The natural cycle just keeps repeating, it never stops…Just like some things never have to end…" I trailed off, my voice suggestive.

"Bella," Edward sighed. "Let's not start this discussion right now."

"Why not?" I demanded, trying to look in his eyes.

"Let's just enjoy a quiet afternoon with each other's company, okay?" he said softly.

I put my hands on both sides of his face, forcing him to meet my gaze. "Why do you keep avoiding the question? Why don't you just accept the fact that I will become a vampire? That I want to be with you _forever_."

"I know that, Bella, truly, I do," Edward said quietly. "And I feel the same way about you, too. I want to be with you until the last twilight, until the last breeze of the Earth, until the world ends! I cannot be without you. The sparks in my universe would not shine if you do not exist."

"Then why do you refuse to change me?" my voice was small and weak.

"Bella, don't you see?" his voice had taken a strong, passionate edge. "There is no after life for my kind. You will be stuck in this world forever. You will have to endure the pain of seeing your love ones leave you one by one. These are not the things I want to see you suffer from! You deserve better than a damned life."

"But," I interrupted, "have you ever considered my side? Do you know how pathetic my life would without you? Do you have any idea how much I need you in my life?" Tears started to fill my eyes.

Edward brushed the clear droplets away and soothed anxiously, "Shh, Bella. I _will_ be next to you. I will stay with you. But do you realize that there is no going back after you are changed. You will be condemned to this kind of life forever."

"I don't care! As long as I'm by your side forever, I don't care!" my tone had turned slightly hysterical. "If you won't change me, then I'll ask Alice to change me. I'm sure she'll be willing to do that!"

We both glared at each other for a moment.

Finally, Edward sighed and said slowly, "Fine. I will change you…but only under one condition…"

"Anything," I answered immediately, "I'll do anything."

He let out a shaky breath, gently placed me on the grass, and stood up.

I looked at him, bewildered.

He merely smiled at me, and reached into his back pocket, taking out a small black box.

My breathing took on a faster pace as I realized what it was. I sat there, shocked, unable to move.

Edward knelt down on his knees. Staring at me through intent eyes, he vowed softly, "Isabella Marie Swan, every since the day you came into my life, my moonless life changed completely. Hope and reason sparkled in my sky. I finally found reason for my existence. You showed me the true meaning of love.

"I know that I have hurt you in the past. As pathetic as the reasons for my actions are, I must tell you that they were all done to prevent you from danger.

"I promise to keep you safe and love you until the world ends."

Edward paused, scrutinizing my stunned expression closely.

"Breathe, Bella," he reminded me, smiling.

I let out a trembling breath, and inhaled deeply; I had been holding my breath since he started talking.

When my breathing finally returned to a normal rhythm, Edward took my hand in his.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?"

Abruptly, my breathing stopped.

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	19. Wedding Bells

**A/N: Wow. 34 reviews, you guys ROCK:D**

**Sorry that we haven't been able to update for a couple of days. School started on Thursday, and we've been buried in homework ever since the first day of school. **

**Our story is coming to an end. There will only be 20 chapters, which means there is going to be one more chapter after this. We are thinking about writing a sequel, though. However, we don't have any specific ideas right now. It would be awesome if you guys could give us some suggestions.**

**Even if I changed my name to Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or Edward woould still not belong to me. :(**

Chapter 19: Wedding Bells

By 8 o'clock in the morning, Alice threw the quilt across the room and sang, "Rise and shine, Bella!"

I groaned and peeked open an eye. "Ugh, this is definitely not how I pictured my wedding day to start out with," I muttered sleepily.

Alice threw a pair of jeans and a white tee at me and rolled her eyes. "You need new attire, Bella," she said, eyeing my wardrob with speculation, "I mean just LOOK at that!!"

"What's wrong with it?" I asked. I looked over my clean clothes. It seemed perfectly fine with me.

"It's so… plain!" Alice said, sighing.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, ignoring her statement.

"The groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding, remember?" Alice raised her eyebrows. "I threw him out of here hours ago,"

My eyes widened. "What-?"

Alice let out a dramatic sigh, and said, "You guys have the rest of eternity after today. A few hours apart won't kill you."

I murmured to myself, "Of course it will. I'm already hurting inside."

Rolling her eyes, Alice told me, "Get dressed, Bella. We have a lot to do before the wedding 12." She skipped out of my room and headed downstairs.

I sighed and rolled off my bed. After I changed, I quickly burshed my teeth and put on the clothes that Alice had picked out for me.

When I walked into the kitchen, Alice already had two Poptarts on my plate and a glass of milk sitting next to it.

I leaned against the doorframe and raised my eyebrow. "Where's Charlie?" I asked.

Alice leaned her hip on the counter, "He's picking up Renee and Phil from the airport. They should be in time for the wedding."

My mother and stepfather had been really excited for my wedding. At first, it was hard to convince Renee to let me marry at 21, but she finally gave in when I told her that I will marry Edward even if she did not approve.

"By the way, Charlie seemed really happy this morning," Alice added casually.

That surprised me. I took a bite of my breakfast. "Really?" I asked skeptically.

Alice nodded, and wanted to know, "So how exactly did you break the news to him?"

A flashback appeared in my head. Edward and I had broke the news to Charlie two weeks ago.

**Flashback:**

_I could still remember the day clearly; it was a couple of hours after I had accepted Edward's wedding proposal at the meadow. On the way home, Edward and I had discussed how to break the news to Charlie without giving him a heart attack. We finally decided that it was best to tell Charlie the truth. Well, not about the vampire issue – that would sure send him right into his grave. _

_We were sitting in the living room. I was nervous and couldn't stop pacing around the room every five minutes. Edward, though, seemed perfectly at ease, or maybe it was just because of the fact that he could conceal his nerves better than I could. _

"_Charlie's coming in two minutes," Edward murmured, squeezing my hand reassuringly. _

_I sighed dramatically, and glanced at the sparkling ring on my middle finger, my heart instantly filling with joy._

_The loud hum of Charlie's police cruiser indicated that I only had a couple of minutes until my confrontation. Turning my head to look at Edward, I decided that I would marry Edward – with or without Charlie's consent._

_Smiling at me, Edward said, "His thoughts are fairly calm, it shouldn't be that hard to tell him."_

_I simply nodded, unable to convey a word._

"_Hey Bells!" Charlie's voice came from the front door. "How was your day?"_

"_Best day of my life," I murmured to myself, my heart was thumping in excitement. Aloud, though, I yelled, "It was great!"_

_Charlie entered the living room, and saw Edward sitting on the couch. "Oh, hey Edward!"_

"_Good evening, Charlie," Edward replied politely. He turned his head to me, and smiled encouragingly. _

_Inhaling deeply, I looked at Charlie. "Umm…Dad?" _

"_Yes, honey?" Charlie replied warily, taking in my nervous appearance. _

"_Can Edward and I talk to you about something?" I scrutinized his expression intently. _

_His face fell a little, but he quickly recovered himself. "Sure, about what?"_

_Edward caught my eye, and motioned me to let him do the talking._

_Clearing his throat to get Charlie attention, Edward told him solemnly, "Charlie, I have never met anyone as amazing as your Bella. Every breath she takes intoxicates me, and every move she makes bewitches me. I swear to take care of her forever, and cherish every moment I spend with her. I intend to marry her, and I genuinely hope to get your consent."_

_During the whole time, I had been staring at Edward, my heart swelling with love and my mind screaming in euphoria. I had not been paying attention to Charlie, but when silence filled the room for too long, I moved my gaze to look at Charlie nervously._

_Finally, blinking his eyes furiously, Charlie stammered, "You…Bella…Twenty-one…I…uh…MARRIAGE?"_

_Edward let out a barely audible chuckle, and said seriously, "Yes. I love Bella with my entire heart, and find no other reason to delay our marriage. I wish to marry Bella as soon as possible."_

_Turning to me, Charlie asked me, "Hey Bells, do I have a hearing problem or something? Because I think I just heard that he wants to _marry _you."_

_I laughed at his dazed expression, and told him, "No, Dad. Edward and I really are getting married in two weeks."_

"_Say WHAT?" Charlie seemed to have finally caught on to what we were saying; his ears turned bright red and his nostrils flared. "Bella, you're only twenty-one! You can't get married at such a young age."_

"_Dad," I said softly, "Edward and I love each other. There is no reason to hold off the marriage any longer. We were going to get married eventually, anyway. So why can't we just get married now?"_

_My words seemed to strike Charlie like lightening; he slumped onto the couch, and put his head in between his trembling hands._

_I looked at Edward nervously, but he just smiled at him. Relaxing a little, I waited patiently for Charlie to regain his composure._

_After five suspenseful and agonizing minutes, Charlie looked up at us, surveying Edward and my expressions. Sighing in defeat, he finally whispered, "My little girl has finally grown up, and ready to get married. I never realized how fast these years had past." Turning his face to Edward, Charlie said sternly, "I give you my consent to marry Bella, and I hope that you take good care of her as long as you live."_

_Edward's face broke into a glorious smile that made my heart skip a beat when I looked at him. He vowed sincerely, "She was and will be my priority forever."_

_And then realization drew down me. I was going to be married to the most wonderful person – well, technically, vampire – on Earth! It felt like I could burst of joy and happiness._

_I pulled Edward and Charlie into a big group hug, and laughed until both of them thought I would die of laughing too hard._

_All in all, everything leading up to the wedding went very well._

**End of Flashback**

After I finished telling her what happened, Alice laughed, "It would've been great to see Charlie's reaction first hand."

I grinned at her.

After a minute, Alice's face brightened and she told me, unable to contain herself, "Guess what, Bella?"

"What?"

"I have a surprise for you!" Alice chirped gleefully.

Oh boy…

I put on my best smile as Alice went to the living room and brought in something blue. Alice held up the wedding dress she made for me.

I was sure that my mouth was hanging open.

"This is your wedding dress, Bella!" Alice squealed happily, "You're going to look absolutely _gorgeous_ in it!"

Since Alice had been the one in charge everything, I hadn't seen my wedding dress up until this moment. The dress was beautiful; it was made of a rich blue color. It was amazing.

I could only manage a laugh. "Oh Alice," I looked at the dress. "It's beautiful… Thank you!"

Alice laughed, and pulled me upstairs, "Come on, let's get you in this dress. Rose will be here in a couple of minutes to do your makeup and fix your hair."

"NOW?" I asked.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Yes now! Now put down your food, I don't want you staining the dress." She yanked the Poptart out of my hands and pushed me up the stairs. Closing the door behind her, Alice left my room to let me change.

A few minutes later, Alice knocked, "Bella, are you done?"

"Uh- yeah, wait," I yelled. I opened the door for her and stood there, embarrassed. I felt blood rushing up my face..

"Oh Bella," Alice gasped in awe, "You look beautiful!"

Dragging me in front of a full length mirror, Alice showed me my reflection. I gasped. Usually, strapless dresses made me look too skinny, but this dress made me look a whole lot different. It brought out the curves on my waist and it ended right on my knees. I was surprised when my skin didn't look as pale as I imagined it would be.

The dress has tiny silver and blue beads along the neckline. Alice brought up a pair of white high heels to go with the dress. I slipped them on, and looked at my reflection in the mirrror.

Alice stood next to me and told me, smiling, "You look wonderful!"

Right when I was about to reply, I saw Rosalie walking into my room with a bunch of makeup and hair-styling tools.

"Oh," Rosalie breathed. "You look great in that dress, Bella!"

"Thanks," I smiled. Rosalie and I had become friends during the couple of days we spent together during vacation. She wasn't that bad, after you got to know her.

"Sit," She ordered, pointing at a chair.

Obeying quietly, I sat down on the chair and Rosalie and Alice started to work on my hair and makeup.

Two hours later, Rosalie finally announced, "All done!"

I sighed in relief.

Putting a mirror in front of me, Alice asked excitedly, "So? Do you like it?"

I loved it. Rosalie had curled my hair, and pulled it up into an elegant bun. The makeup made me look sophisticated. I started open-mouthed at my reflection.

Rosalie chuckled and started to pull me out of the chair, "Come on, Bella. We'd better get going. The wedding is in one and a half hours."

------

When we arrived at the Cullen's house ten minutes later, I saw that everything was already set up. The priest was standing near the porch. However, I couldn't find Edward.

Alice looked at me, and said, "Edward's not here yet."

"Why?" I asked.

Smirking, she replied, "He did mention something about a honeymoon…"

She was cut off by Renee's shriek, "BELLA!"

"Hey, Mom!" I greeted as she pulled me into a fierce hug.

"I can't believe you're getting married today! I'm so happy for you!" Renee squealed.

"Thank you, Mom!" I smiled at her happily, "I'm really happy, too!"

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion," Alice said, "but Bella has to go in a get ready."

"Oh, right! See you in a couple of minutes!" Renee said as she started to walk away.

--------

An hour later, Charlie entered the room that I was in.

"Wow, Bella, you look beautiful!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Thank you, Dad!" my tone was euphoric.

"Well, the ceremony's starting," Charlie said, looping his arm through mine. "Let's walk you down that aisle!"

The Wedding March echoed through the open space, and Charlie and I slowly made our way into the sun.

**Dun dun da-dum. Do I hear wedding bells ringing:D Hehe.**

**Okay, since you guys left us 34 reviews for the last chapter, i'm expecting AT LEAST 30 for this one before we update. Haha. Yes. I'm evil! But not as evil as you if you don't review:D**


	20. The Beginning

**A/N: Bonjour! We are here with the last chapter of The Ambivalent Impasse. We thank you guys SO much for reading our first fanfic. You guys really do brighten up our day. :D **

**Okay, for the last chapter, there was a confusion about the last line. I apologize for not being clear enough. But what i really meant by that line was that, usually at outdoor weddings, they set up tents to block the sun. The aisle that the bride walks down on, though, is usually exposed to sunlight in some way. So, since all the Cullens were under the tents, their skin didn't sparkle. And Bella walked on to the aisle that was exposed to the sun. Er. Right. I know it's a little confusing but...you get the idea...right? Haha.**

**As for the sequel...Currently, we don't have any specific plotline or event that we could make a sequel out of. It you guys have any suggestions or ideas, PLEASE TELL US:D**

**Thank you guys SO MUCH for the reviews! We've finally reached the 300 mark. :D **

**I (Vicky) have read some fanfics by you guys. And I must say that i really enjoyed reading a lot of them! (blissfulmemories: UPDATE!!!!! It's been forever since you posted that awesome first chapter! Haha.) **

**Finally, we would like to thank you guys for all the wonderful comments and suggestions you've given us.**

**We don't own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or the characters from the story.**

Chapter 20: The Beginning

I was so nervous that I could have sworn my heart would jump out of my chest. My stomach was tight. And I realized I gripped Charlie's shirt sleeve tighter than I intended to. As we stepped out into the red carpet, everyone stood up from their seats and turned towards me.

Instantly, I felt my face heat up under their stares. If it weren't for Charlie, I was sure that I would faint right on the spot. Charlie's warm smile calmed me down, and I relaxed slightly beside him.

Looking at the guests, I saw the Cullen family, Renee, Phil, and Angela (she and Ben had come back to Forks during break, too.). They all smiled at me encouragingly and warmly. Catching my eye, Alice gave me a wink.

Finally, I turned my gaze to Edward. My breath caught in my throat. Edward looked so handsome in the tux. His hair was tousled, and his eyes were a deep gold. Breaking into a smile, Edward's eyes twinkled with happiness. I locked my eyes in his, never looking away as Charlie and I slowly made our way to the front.

I managed to keep myself from tripping as we progressed down the aisle. As we reached the Priest and Edward, Charlie turned to me and murmured, "Take care, Bells."

Smiling at him, I replied, "You too, Dad."

The Priest smiled at Charlie, "And who gives Isabella Marie Swan to be married to Edward Anthony Masen Cullen?"

"Her mother and I do," Charlie said in a strong voice.

The Priest nodded, "Guests, you may be seated."

Everyone did as they were told.

The Priest smiled at us and than he cleared his voice to begin, "Father in heaven, You ordained marriage for your children, and you gave us love. We present to You Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment,"

Edward took my hands in his and whispered softly, "I love you."

"You are my life," I murmured back, my eyes shinning with tears.

"We ask that You, God, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen." The Priest smiled at the crowd and turned towards us. "The rings," he proclaimed. "You may begin your vows."

Edward took the ring from Alice and gently slipped it on my left fore finger. "I, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, in faith, honesty, and love, take you, Isabella Marie Swan, to be my wedded wife, to share with you God's plan for our lives together united in Christ. And with God's help, to strengthen and guide me I will be a strong spiritual leader for us in our life, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, in joys and in sorrows, until death do we part." It felt like my heart could burst of the happiness I was experiencing. The joy could not be adequately described with words. "I give you all that I have myself and my love in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. With this ring I seal my vow of love to you, Isabella Marie Swan, and pray I may fulfill God's place in our home, in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

It was so quiet when I reached for Edward's ring. I could hear the faint sound of Renee's sniffling and sobbing in the background. I saw Charlie's eyes shimmer with tears from the corner of my eyes. I felt grateful for all the things I possessed – love and friendship.

Here I was, getting married to the world's most perfect man, and my parents, the Cullens, my friends, everyone I cared and loved were all present. Today was truly the best day of my life.

I turned to take the ring from Alice, who smiled at me. "I, Isabella Marie Swan, in faith, honesty, and love, take you, Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, as my wedded husband. With deepest joy I come into my new life with you. As you have pledged to me your life and love, so I too happily give you my life, and in confidence submit myself to your headship as to the Lord. As is the church in her relationship to Christ, so I will be to you." I slipped the ring on his finger. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, I will live first unto our God and then unto you, loving you, obeying you, caring for you and ever seeking to please you. God has prepared me for you and so I will ever strengthen, help, comfort, and encourage you. Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as an obedient and faithful wife."

A single tear drop rolled out of my eye as I solemnly pronounced the last words of my wedding vow. My throat felt so tight that I could barely breathe.

The Priest smiled, "These two people have been drawn together by their love for each other. May they practice self-discipline and patience throughout their marriage, for these are essential to lasting love. May they continue to trust each other, for trust is the foundation on which all love is built." He closed his Bible. "Since Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan have pledged their love and commitment to each other under God's name and these witnesses that have been brought here today, I declare that they are husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

A round of applause roared among the guests. Edward pulled me towards him and pressed his cold lips against my warm ones.

As we broke apart, Edward's eyes shinned as it never shone before.

-----

"Quit all the mushy stuff you're doing up there, and get downstairs NOW!" Alice's impatient voice came from the other side of Edward's door. "The wedding reception's in a couple of minutes, and I still need to fix Bella's hair and makeup!"

I sighed and straightened myself up from Edward's embrace. After the wedding, we had gone straight to his room and spent a couple of wonderful minutes together.

Chuckling, Edward murmured, "Come on, let's not make Alice anymore impatient than she already is. You wouldn't want her to ask Emmett to tear the door off."

Reluctantly, I dragged myself towards the door. Suddenly remembering something, I turned and said, "Now that we're married, you have to fulfill your side of the bargain okay?"

"How can I forget about this," Edward mumbled sarcastically.

Glaring at him, I demanded, "So are you going to change me or not?"

"Do I have another choice?" he muttered.

"Nope."

Giving in, Edward sighed, "I'll change you tonight, is that soon enough?"

"Of course," I was bemused and overjoyed by his quick agreement. I thought that it would've taken much longer to convince him.

"All right then. Go get dressed for the reception – we have some parents to thank," Edward smiled.

I skipped out of his room and into Alice's.

-----

The wedding reception went well. I got a chance to speak with friends that I haven't seen in a while.

At one point, Renee came up and practically dragged me off to the side to speak with me.

"Oh, Bella!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with angst and jubilation at the same time. Her bipolar feelings reminded me that I would not be able to see her after tonight. Anguish filled my lungs as I registered the painful thought.

Trying to control my expression, I managed to choke out, "Mom! I'm so happy!"

"I know, honey," Renee said, dabbing her eyes. "And I'm happy for you, too."

I hugged her tightly and inhaled deeply, memorizing the flowery scent that I knew I was going to miss an awful lot of after today.

"Promise me, Bella," Renee whispered. "Be safe."

My vision was blurred by tears oozing out my eyes. I nodded and bit my lip lightly.

"You promise to visit me, right?" Renee demanded. "Don't go running off with lover boy and forget all about your mom."

I tried to keep a straight face, and replied in a light voice, "How can I ever forget about my dear mom?"

Renee smiled, and relaxed. "Well, looks like Edward's making his way over. I'll talk to you later."

"'Kay, love you, Mom," I waved at her leaving figure.

A pair of arms wound around my waist softly.

Smiling, I murmured lightly, "Hey, Edward."

I could hear a smile forming in his voice, "Hello."

"How's everyone doing?" I turned around and pressed my face in his well-defined chest.

"Great," Edward mumbled in my hair.

"So when are you changing me tonight?"

Edward groaned softly, "Not now, Bella."

"Fine. But don't eat your words," I agreed reluctantly.

"Never," he grinned, pulling my face up to gaze into my eyes.

"BELLA!" Alice's voice rang out.

Sighing, Edward and I broke apart.

"Hey, Alice," I greeted Alice as she approached.

"So what do you want to do after the wedding reception? It should end in about one hour." Alice questioned.

"I don't know," I answered.

"I know! Let's do something wild!" Alice suddenly said, an evil grin creeping up her delicate face.

"No!" Edward shouted just as I said, "Sure!"

Edward glared at Alice and told both of us firmly, "We are NOT going to do anything that might involve the potential of hurting Bella."

"Gosh. It's your wedding day, Edward! Lighten up a little, won't you?" Alice pouted at Edward.

"Yeah. But I'd also like my bride to be in one complete piece on my wedding day."

"I'm starting to suspect that you lack a fun gene in your body," Alice seemed to enjoy arguing with Edward.

"Yeah. And you have absolutely no judgment of what is _safe_," Edward teased, lightening up.

They stared at each other for a long time until Edward added, "And no, when I mean not hurting her, I mean both physically _and_ emotionally. So, playing 'Dress Bella up like a Barbie' is out of the question."

Alice stomped her feet, and walked away sulkily.

I chuckled, and turned to Edward, "You sure know how to get Alice to back off."

He merely smiled, and replied, "Practice makes perfect, love."

"Oh, I don't think I'll ever master the art of rejecting Alice. You know I'm a sucker for her pleading faces," I made a face at him.

Grinning, he snaked an arm around my waist, and whispered in my ear, "Let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

"Our meadow."

--------

"The view is spectacular!" I mused, lying in Edward's arms.

"As are you," Edward mumbled softly.

I smiled, and inhaled deeply, letting the fresh air luxuriate my lungs.

"So where are we going to go after…my transformation?" I asked hesitantly.

Edward's body tensed a little at the subject, but he managed to keep his voice steady, "Alaska? Or perhaps somewhere that's not sunny?"

"Hmmm. We'll have to ask the rest of the family for their opinions." I smiled when I said "family"; it was great sensation to refer to the Cullens as my family.

We sat in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company.

"So…what are we going to tell Renee and Charlie about my…death?" I murmured.

Edward's body became rigid, and I instantly regretted asking the question.

"Alice will think of something," Edward said finally, reluctant.

"Tell me something," I started.

"Yes?"

"Are you thinking about breaking your promise?" I queried.

"No…why?" Edward asked carefully.

"Then why are you so reluctant to answer my questions?"

"Bella," he sighed, taking my hands in his. "It's not that I don't want to change you…it's just that…"

"Yes?"

"I don't think I can handle seeing you in so much pain and agony through the transformation," he finished in a rush.

I breathed in relief. "Is that all?"

Edward stared at me, confused, "Of course, what other reasons are there?"

I laughed and told him, "Don't worry about me. Just keep thinking about all the time we get to spend together after I change. You might feel better."

"_Might_," Edward emphasized, smiling a little.

We lay there, watching as the shades of blue slowly morphed into layers of brilliant orange and purple.

-------

"Well. This is it," I muttered, lying in _our_ bed, waiting for Edward to come back into the room. "Good-bye to the old, clumsy me; hello to the new and improved almost-me" I chuckled to myself silently.

The door opened softly, and Edward slowly walked to me.

Pulling him on the bed, I said impatiently, "Hurry up!"

"No need to be hasty, love," Edward laughed quietly to himself. "You have an eternity ahead of you."

I growled lowly, and Edward grinned at me.

Edward held me in his arms tightly. His lips slowly found its way up my collarbone, neck, and finally settled on my lips. Crushing myself in to him eagerly, I wound my arms around his neck. I could feel Edward smile on my lips, his breath gradually becoming uneven. My breathing had already gone disjointed and staggered. My heart was beating so quickly as if I had been struck by lightening. I suppose that I _did_ get strike by lightening – but a much better one. The electric current I felt every time I was with Edward filed through my body. I simply could not get enough of Edward. The thought of spending the rest of forever with Edward sent my pulse berserk.

Edward, pulled away, and mumbled, "Are you ready?"

"Never been as ready as I am now," I said confidently.

Edward's venom filled teeth sunk into my flesh, and the fiery pain overtook my senses almost immediately.

But this time, the pain felt different. It burned with hope, promise, and love.

It struck me with a new life, new hope, and start of something new.

Indeed, the start of something new.

With Edward.

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